Self-described sexistentialist pop libertine Brad Stank today drops his debut album ‘Kinky Om’ via Heist or Hit. A smooth sail though jazz-influenced slow-jams, it’s a record that finds its place in amongst intimate topics like sensuality and loss. “I’m striving to attain this idea of half-sexy, half-spiritual,” he explains. “I’m sure a Hindu yogi would say there’s no place for sex if you’re trying to reach God, but I’m running with it and making the idea as beautiful as I can.” Give the record a listen below, and walk through it track by track with Brad himself.
Kinky Visitation
The embryo of this song goes back to summer 2018; you know that red hot one? I remember jamming this out in my pants in my oven of a room. A visitation means the appearance of a divine or supernatural being, a word I was inspired to use by Allen Ginsberg’s poem ‘Wales Visitation’, one of my favourite ever poems. There’s a great video on YouTube of him reading it to an attentive William F Buckley, check it out!
The song itself is pretty self-explanatory, I think!
Sat on the Moon
This one is one of the broodier songs on the record. The first incarnation of this tune was pretty sombre, and I’d been wanting to incorporate some Bossa Nova into my music for some time, as the whole genre has been a big part of my life for years now! Artists like Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa, Tom Jobim, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso have all been deep-dived on over the years. So I decided to incorporate this more up-tempo beat into my depressing-ass song! My good friend Jo played some gorgeous piano over the top, and that was that. Lyrically it’s a song of yearning and acceptance.
Breathing Like a Baby
I had the beat for this song sitting in the vaults for a little while, and decided now was the time to let it breathe. I was going for a kind of 00’s RnB radio hit musically. That guitar on 21 Questions must have been bubbling inside me since I was a boy! The phrase ‘breathing like a baby’ comes from the Jack Kerouac book ‘Wake Up’, his own telling of the story of the buddha. He uses this phrase to describe meditation, breathing in and out of the nose peacefully, as babies do. With the help of my guy Ryshon Jones, we created a little Zen Rnb hit!
Ultrasensual Bliss
I found the phrase “utrasensual bliss” in the book Autobiography of a Yogi, by Yogananda. He quotes Shankara, the great Vedantist, as saying “Ultrasensual bliss is extremely easy of attainment and is far superior to sense delights, which always end in disgust.” So he’s talking about bliss beyond the senses; ultrasensual. I, of course, had to make this phrase a bit stanky, it was far too tempting not to! Musically heavily inspired by John Lennon and George Harrison’s solo stuff. Was really trying to go for a big George chorus here!
She Was a Tease
This one’s just all about a teasy woman and needing some fresh air! Getting hot in here innit. Gal Go played his sultry saxophone and we created this yacht-rock slow-burner together for you to slow dance to with your honey. Call me Cliff Cloth.
Stanky Om
The original Kinky Om, I started writing this tune mid-2019, I reckon. Another more RnB inspired number; I tried to make this one as sexy as possible! So I renamed it Stanky to give the true Kinky Om its own space at the end of the record. Lyrically in search of the elusive kinky om, as always, with a sprinkling of reflection.
Ah Hum
For me, this song is one of the sadder ones on the record, but my Grandad’s heard it and thinks the whole “ah hum” thing is really funny! It’s probably the most reflective song out of the lot; I was thinking a lot about my friends and I, how we’ve dealt with the past year together. The B section features my mate Charly Reed of Samurai Kip on his trombone, playing the melody over the chords from ‘Cool With You’ by Her’s. Incorporating their music wasn’t something I pre-meditated originally, but it happened quite naturally in my bedroom one day, and it felt quite fitting.
I Had…
This one’s something I recorded in my room, the only song on the record not done in the studio with Saam! So it’s quite raw. It’s about a dream I had, obviously, but I’m not gonna divulge too much info! Already cringing at the idea of other people hearing it, to be honest.
Kinky Om
Thee sexistential curtain closer! A pretty simple tune (aren’t they all?) dedicated to the universal, eternal sound of Kinky Om. Backing vocals in the verse by my mate and pure legend Lydia Kitto, and the choir-style vocals at the end by Katy Hustwick, both arranged and performed gorgeously from their bedrooms. The end feels like a good bit of closure for me personally. Hope you enjoy the album, and remember: I love you because you’re me <3.
Brad Stank’s debut album ‘Kinky Om’ is out now.
