WITNESS THE DEATH OF SUMMER — This show took place in Windsor, ON the night of September 7, 2024. Opening acts included Windsor's own Blood Wolf Moon and our new Toronto-based friends in Xephyr. It marked the end of our summer touring cycle for the Sunwaves EP. Because the album was loosely summer-themed, we wanted to separate subsequent fall shows from the summer season, hence the "death of summer."

Ian Phillips at Windsor's Meteor bar does an excellent job making his venue a considerably high-quality experience for low-profile bands like us, and we are grateful that he was willing to provide us with the multi-track recording from this show. For any bands playing throughout southern Ontario, Meteor is a highly worthwhile spot to book.

Recorded by Ian Phillips @ Meteor, Windsor, ON, Canada www.meteorwindsor.com Pre-Production and Post-Production by Maxwell Kozen

Live Performers: Jared Leal (Drums), Jericho Leal (Guitar), Maxwell Kozen (Guitar, Vocals), Antonia Lawrence (Vocals)

Pre-Recorded Performers: Evin Nazya (Vocals on BKBPT2), Sheldon Fernandes (Additional Guitars on BKBPT2), Jason Emsallem (Vocals on To The Wind), Sarah Gribeauval (Vocals on From Heaven), Stephen James Kerr (Aux percussion & effects on Somebody Else), Nick Young (Vocals on Jitterthink), Chandelle King (Vocals on As Wide As Zen, Sunwaves, BKBPT2), Jonathan Aristide (Bass on BKBPT2), Jeremy John (Slap Bass on As Wide As Zen), Sidone Harrison (Keys on Barricade, To The Wind, With Open Eyes), Kyron Newbury (Guitars, Backing Vocals, & Drum Loops on As Wide As Zen)

Maxwell Kozen Pre-Recorded: Keys (Somebody Else, From Heaven, As Wide As Zen, Sunwaves, BKBPT2, Jitterthink, Backpedal) Sanshin (As Wide As Zen, Sunwaves, BKBPT2) Bass Programming on all songs. All backing vocals not listed as someone else. All sound effects & post-production sounds.

"Sunwaves" is a mix of new and old ideas, spanning the band's career to this point. This EP is meant to summarize everything between 2015 and 2024 before launching the band into a distinctly new era. This collection of songs is the most unapologetic fulfilment of KOZEN's promise to genre-bend while maintaining a distinctive sound. It includes contributions from most of the historic members of KOZEN, while also introducing Chandelle King (https://www.instagram.com/_chandellaa/) as a new second vocalist—though her tenure with the band ended up being short-lived.

There are two pieces that were written before Kozen even began (Terminal 3, Bestview), an expanded remake and an un-released b-side from the early Swimming To The Stars era (Gazelles, BKBPT2), one song that didn't quite make it onto A Fearful Wonder (Sunwaves), and one song written for this current project (As Wide As Zen).

Released in the summer of 2024, "Sunwaves" is a liberating declaration of individuality, self-discovery, boundless autonomy, and openness to life's experiences. We hope, above all else, that this music makes you feel free, integrated, and fulfilled.

released July 10, 2024

KOZEN: Maxwell Kozen (Vocals, Guitars, Keys, Bass, Sanshin), Chandelle King (Vocals), Jericho Leal (Guitars), Jared Leal (Drums, Percussion)

Alumni & Honorary Members: Jonathan Aristide (Bass on tracks 5, 6), Jeremy John (Bass on tracks 2, 3), Antonia Lawrence (Backing vocals on track 6), Kyron Newbury (Backing vocals, drum loops, and additional guitar on track 2)

GUEST ARTISTS: Sheldon Fernandes of Polarity (Guest guitar solo on BKBPT2), Evin Nazya (Guest vocals on BKBPT2), Shy Musiq (Guest vocals on Gazelles)

Produced by KOZEN Mixed & Mastered by Maxwell Kozen

Additional rhythm guitar reverb processing on Bestview by Siegfried Meier at Beach Road Studios (in 2021).

All lyrics by Maxwell Kozen except Swahili lyrics on "Gazelles" by Shy Musiq and Maxwell Kozen

Cover Art by Jonathan Zboray (IG: @cut.wise)

This EP was a long term work in progress since before A Fearful Wonder was released. We planned to follow up the main album with some acoustic remakes, but it ended up taking much longer than we initially planned.

In any case, "Undercurrent" is our way of re-packaging some of our high-energy songs in a way that exposes the more melodic, smooth "undercurrents" hiding beneath the otherwise more metallic surface. We've always presented ourselves as a "genre-bending" band, but we have tended to approach that by blending musical elements together at the same time, rather than hopping back and forth between styles sequentially. With this EP, we hope that stripping away the metal and hard rock layers can help people hear the Pop, R&B, and Folk/Singer-Songwriter roots that have always been inherent in our material.

There are also two original pieces on this EP that have not been previously released: Swim and Looming Dawn, although the former has appeared in our live show as an intro to Shadow Ocean Stagnant.

released July 26, 2022

KOZEN: Maxwell Kozen (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Keys, Sanshin), Jericho Leal (Acoustic, Classical, and Electric Guitars), Jared Leal (Drums, Cajon, Other Percussion)

ALUMNI & HONOURARY MEMBERS: Sidone Harrison (Piano on Nail, Burning In My Mind, Waveway), Jonathan Aristide (Bass on Undercurrent), Antonia Lawrence (Vocals on Nail), Zeneeka Brown (Background vocals on Undercurrent)

GUEST FEATURES: Yahara Leone (Guest vocals on Nail), Evin Nazya (Guest vocals on Burning In My Mind), Shannon Dooks (Guest vocals on Undercurrent)

Mixed & Mastered by Maxwell Kozen

Artwork by Sarah Duvivier (https://www.instagram.com/rarediamondzz/)

A Fearful Wonder is our first full-length album and in many ways the anchor point for our sound. We wrote and recorded this project while operating in a strange kind of long-distance work: Max was in Michigan while the rest of the band was spread out around the greater Toronto area. Despite these challenges, the majority of these songs took shape over the course of three years between 2016 and 2019, with a couple notable exceptions (Waveway, The Locust Season) being initially written as far back as 2011 and 2007 respectively.

This album really set the stage for everything that would come after for us as a band and remains one of the strongest entry points for anyone wanting to begin their listening journey with KOZEN.

released June 7, 2019

Maxwell Kozen (Vocals, Guitars, Programming/Synth, Bass), Sidone Harrison (Keys, Synth, Vocals), Jericho Leal (Guitars), Jared Leal (Drums, Percussion), Antonia Lawrence (Additional Vocals on Tracks 4, 7, 8, 10)

All songs written & arranged by Maxwell Kozen, Jericho Leal, Jared Leal, and Sidone Harrison.

Produced by KOZEN & Stephen James Kerr Mixed & Mastered by Stephen James Kerr

Cover art by Tyler Dooks (www.instagram.com/mad_average/)

"Barricade" marked the first time KOZEN created a professional music video. The song also features the "classic" foundational lineup with Sid Harrison on keys and Jonathan Aristide on Bass, alongside Maxwell and the Leal brothers. A blistering progressive metal track with colourful chords and a mind-bending solo, Barricade remains a staple in the KOZEN live show.