The Kick: Finding Their Sound Through Instinct

The Kick's unlikely origin story began with a dictionary in English class. The first word, aardvark, led them to creating their first project together, Aardvark Territory.

This project eventually evolved into The Kick which consists of the members Nathan and Charlie. The new name came from Charlie's dad's old band name. It stuck because it perfectly matches their sound, which they describe as rhythm heavy and energetic.

Some of their early inspirations for this sound include Yellow Tango, Phoenix, The Strokes, and Tame Impala. You may get a sense of some of these inspirations within their music. Although, they still have their own twist on it that makes it authentic to their sound. For their music process, it typically starts with chord progression and drums. After the instrumentals, they'll sit in the studio and write to it. They keep their creative process equal and constantly bounce ideas off each other. Recently, they've been developing their lyricism. Charlie explained, "We are trying to find new ways to convey a message. We write a lot of love songs, but finding a way to make it more interesting or keep evolving with it.

Their debut album, Supernova, was released in May 2025. They created this album without a label and without a lead single. Looking back at that project, they discussed how they continue to learn from it. Their biggest takeaway was trusting their gut and not overthinking it. Reflecting on the project a year later, Charlie admired that experience saying, "I listened to the project and I'm like damn this is so great because we weren't thinking of anything else than the music... We didn't really promote it that much, we didn't have a single. We were just like 'fuck it, lets put this out.' l think there's beauty in that there wasn't anything out or any label."

Nathan added, "A lot of songs we mainly made in the night or the main idea came from a hangout sesh, and that really speaks to going with your gut.. and if you think something is cool and exciting, then that's really sick and that's all that matters."

For Nathan, Supernova was a project where they followed their instinct and released music that got their energy out. Charlie agreed, describing it as "very self-expressive and an emotional output for the both of us." With their music, they prioritize being themselves and developing themselves more instrumentally and lyrically. Charlie emphasized this saying "You gotta feel the music. There is something very important in being yourself. A lot of people are trying to be cool." They both appreciated how the project wasn't trying to imitate a sound or artist, it came naturally.

This authenticity is something they want to continue with their newer projects, and you can already hear them developing their sound with their newest release, "Have U?" that was released back in January. 

The track takes their music in a darker direction with heavy synths, drums, and a bass line that immediately pulls you in. The lyrics and production combine to make it a dark, moody love song. My favorite part is the ending. The lyrics become more sporadic and nonsensical as the singer starts to go mad because he can't be with this person. The simple lyrical effect, mixed with their synthetic instrumental mix, creates these darker tones that make the song so interesting.

Charlie and Nathan say this is just the start of their new music. Hinting at what's next, they described their upcoming sound as more '80's-esque with a clean retro vibe. The two teased that there was a lot more coming this year, with Nathan reminding fans to "stay balling." Personally, I can't wait to hear what else The Kick has to offer.