Written by: Pete Brown
Band:
Title:
Release Date:
Kelowna
Superstar
28th August 2026
Kelowna are a Scottish band, formed in early 2024 through their love of classic rock music. The five members of the band bring together different musical backgrounds to form a sound that combines classic rock with a more modern approach to songwriting. Front man Davy Wilson leads the creativity of the band; his ideas forming the starting point for most of the songs, with the other members helping to develop and create the final project. From their single Raven Lady to their support for Scotland’s national team in Faith in The Gaffer for the 2026 World Cup finals, Kelowna have worked really hard to build a following: now it’s time to release a full album. Their full length debut is set to be released on 28th of August 2026, and what else could they call it but Superstar. Could this be a prediction for the future? Who knows! Let’s take a look at the album and the ten tracks on it.
The album opens with the track Midnight Rider. The classic guitar and drums intro has your feet tapping before Davy’s vocals cut in. Davy holds the last word in each line, as if he is emphasising what he’s trying to say. The rhythm of the song is catchy, holding the listener’s attention. Guitar and drum solos break up the vocals, but allow the narrative to continue throughout. The pace of the song is like a trip down a road at midnight, being chased by an internal devil, which could be a number of things depending on who is listening. This lays down the marker for the whole album.
Following on from Midnight Rider is the track Second Place. There is a significant change of pace with this song, with a shorter introduction and a harder riff on the guitar. The story behind Second Place seems to be that we often find ourselves in second place to others, but we still have the desire to move up, both in society and success. This resonates strongly, especially with all the modern stresses and expectations placed upon us. There is a much heavier cymbal sound on this track, which seems to represent the relentless struggle of life, coupled with an intentional and thoughtful movement through the track into the guitar solo. This song fades out rather than the sudden stop that was there with the previous track.
After Second Place we get a slower song in the form of Wild and Free which, despite being more downbeat, still has that classic rock sound. Gentle drumming and a melodic guitar take us through the story of someone who was wild and free but is beginning to change – or attempt to, however the process is driven by others for their benefit. Can you really change someone to fit your style? Here the answer is ‘not really’, highlighted in the lyrics: “You can take me out of the streets, my love, but you can’t take the streets out of me.” Davy’s vocals are haunting and crisp throughout this track.
The next song is one of Kelowna’s earlier songs, Raven Lady. The guitar and vocals that lead in to this track give way to a drum riff which gradually drops out, adding only a cymbal for the last few lines almost as a ‘listen to this it’s important’ vibe. This indie inspired track talks about one persons down to earth vision of someone rather than the shortsighted view of someone who wants a trophy wife.
Meet You is the longest track on this album and runs at about 6 1/2 minutes. It has a keyboard introduction, which gives a more subtle, soft sound to the track. Gentle and slow, this song is a ballad which contrasts with the other tracks on the album. The drums are soft, almost a heartbeat throughout the song. This track has you swaying rather than dancing. The heart tugging guitar solo followed by the keyboard almost sounds like a conversation ended by the reintroduction of drums and vocals. “I’ll meet you in the middle to save me from myself” is almost a cry for help to someone you trust. This track explores the nature of love and the need for compromise in any relationship; yet some have to compromise more that others. “I’ll give you everything, give me just a little of your heart!”
…Insanity is seen as an animal that lives in us, but what sort of animal is it? Soft and cuddly or big and scary? ..
Insanity starts with a heavier guitar sound and a fading scream. The heaviness of the instruments is complimented by the high tones in the vocals. In this song it seems that insanity is seen as an animal that lives in us, but what sort of animal is it? Soft and cuddly or big and scary? This track seems to have more questions than it does answers. Maybe we are meant to find our own.
A classic introduction brings the next song – Wordsmith – to life. Guitars and drums have a lively beat which continues throughout the song. This track has a bit of funk style in it with the dominant instrument. besides the vocals. being the bass. It is most definitely more to the fore than in previous tracks. The instrumental break has both your head and feet moving.
Monster is brought to life by guitars and cymbals, and then comes support from the keyboards, and finally the vocals. It is a pacey song almost like a chase which is reflected in the lyrics. ”I get so close I can almost taste your fear”. This track seems to be about a self-made monster which we all probably encounter at least once in our life. There is a prog feel to the solos as they tend to have their own individual parts, which follow on from each other.
Continuing the album is another ballad or love song entitled Song for Cathy. From this I get the feeling of loss and insecurity; I’m not sure if this is someone walking away from a relationship or from a loss in the sense of death: it does have a feeling it could well be either. It does tend to make you stop and think about events that may have happened in your own life.
The album closes with the song Faith in the Music. If anybody has heard the Kelowna song Faith in the Gaffer, this has the same tune but celebrates people’s faith as well as the band’s in music and the power that live music has over things. A haunting note hangs in the air at the beginning eventually joined by a guitar playing an equally haunting tune with an echo added. This does remind me of the introduction to an early Def Leppard track. The military style drums then take over. The music industry is hard and this song talks about the hard times and the lonely times but we must not give up. The music is almost a battle cry to fans of music everywhere. Music can carry us through dark times and often hard times, as well as the good times. It gives us a sense that music can heighten our emotions and it can play on every part of us from making us cry to making us laugh to making us forget the things we worry about.
Overall, this album is a statement of clear intent from Kelowna. They have chosen songs that cover the range of feelings, no doubt, experienced by themselves as well as their audience. Their music shows support and understanding that we can all share. This is, for me, a great first album from a band who I look forward to gracing stages at festivals, grassroots venues and given time stadiums.
Kelowna are:
Davy Wilson – Vocals
Paul Mooney – Lead Guitar
Simon Amos – Bass Guitar
Ian King Davy – Keyboards
Rory McEwan -Drums
Track Listing
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Midnight Rider
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Second Place
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Wild and Free
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Raven Lady
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Meet You
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The Wordsmith
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Insanity
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Monster
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Song for Cathy
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Faith in the Music