Kind Regards – “Bootleg Portal” rides on a groovy guitar-driven production

These days, it’s never too early to start a career in music. What used to cost thousands of dollars in recording equipment is now built in to most laptops, and easy to get software – the barrier to entry into the game has never been less daunting. With platforms like SoundCloud and Spotify making it possible for new artists to break every day, and reach an unlimited number of fans, there is almost no limit on age, culture, or economic status to make headway in the music business. Even language barriers have long been broken down through music.

Kind Regards is a young rap crew from Gießen, in central Germany, consisting of Kangarooh and JoeJu, who produce music and rap in their native tongue. As 2020 newcomers they launched their debut EP “Broken Youth” during last summer. “We are a confused but interesting crew that has questioned the world on all levels,” states Kind Regards. “Each of us has suffered from the influences of this society but has also learned from it,” they conclude.

With not much knowledge of the German language, I can however make out that Kind Regards rap with both wisdom and wit, often using tongue in cheek humor to drive their themes and messages home. Their latest track, “Bootleg Portal”, rides on a groovy guitar-driven production, scratchy effects, and a mid-tempo banging drumbeat, while Kind Regards lay down smooth conversational flows.

The song credits sees JoeJu taking care of the beat, mixing and mastering, while together with Kangarooh they both shared songwriting duties. Kind Regards’ crystal clear style and pristine production stands out in a soundscape littered with hazy, modern trap sound-alikes. They have one eye on socially conscious themes, and another on fun summery- styled jams.

Kind Regards mix style, technicality and fun into exciting single releases for mass consumption. And once you get over the initial language barrier, you’ll appreciate the raps and funky beat on “Bootleg Portal”. A quick run through their Spotify playlist and you’ll realize that one of Kind Regards’ greatest qualities is unpredictability. They’re capable of drastically switching styles, moods and flows, from one project to another.

The Gießen-based crew have a high work rate, having already released a number singles and an EP since their official formation in 2020. With plenty more likely coming this year, and a probable ever-growing profile both at home and abroad, Kind Regards is set to achieve an incredible amount before the end of 2021. Kangarooh and JoeJu possess the fundamental skills, in both rapping and producing, to flip a palpable but nascent buzz, into something major.