Garrett Kato Announces New EP ‘Kumamoto’ + Shares New Song “Never Be Us”
April 23, 2021 BY Nettwerk
Singer, songwriter and producer Garrett Kato will release his new EP Kumamoto on July 9th, and today shares the single “Never Be Us.” On Kumamoto, the Canada-born, Australia-based artist pays tribute to his Japanese heritage with a powerful look at triumph and trauma, past and present. Written during the turmoil of 2020 and recorded in his home studio in Byron Bay, the songs were a way of coping with an uncertain future. The EP title is a nod to the city where the Kato bloodline began in southern Japan.
“Australia was on fire, and, soon after, a worldwide pandemic hit that changed the world for the foreseeable future,” says Garrett. “I began thinking of what generations before us went through, about my grandparents; victims of internment camps of World War II. How strong people can be, despite overwhelming odds.”
Latest single “Never Be Us” came from a poignant conversation Garrett had with his six-year-old daughter about the Black Lives Matter protests in America. “She didn’t understand why people would treat others differently because of their skin colour or race and said, ‘that would never be us.’”
Garrett kicked off 2021 with previous single “Be,” which was written, produced and mixed by Garrett at his home studio in Byron Bay at a time when the world had just begun to feel the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. He followed it up with “Firestarter,” co-written with Australian singer-songwriter Ainslie Wills.
Known for his reflective musings on love, life and vices, singer-songwriter and platinum-award winning producer Garrett’s unique style of folk-pop is catching fire around the globe. A string of powerful releases, including sophomore album hemispheres, has seen him perform sold-out shows alongside Damien Rice and Ziggy Alberts and amass over 65 million worldwide streams.
Australian tastemaker triple j dubbed Garrett as the “producer and musician behind some of the most prominent sounds coming out the Byron Bay’s booming buskers scene,” and rightly so; Kumamoto was self-produced by Garrett at his home studio, where he has also worked with a string of artists including Julia Stone, Pete Murray, Tones and I, Kyle Lionhart, Riley Pearce, Pierce Brothers, Jack Botts and more.
Stay tuned for more news and music from Garrett Kato.
