Exclusive video premiere of ‘Revelator’ by Kainalu, taken from the upcoming album, ‘Ginseng Hourglass’, out Fall 2022.

Kainalu is a psychedelic funk recording project by independent multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Prall. Drawing influence from modern psychedelia and classic Motown artists he grew up listening to, Kainalu’s unique sound has gained international appeal. Kainalu’s core is rooted in Prall’s Japanese-Hawaiian heritage; the word roughly translates to ocean waves, but more personally the concept of the ocean rising and breaking down the islands through time and the impermanence of life. Kainalu explores this meaning through both its sound and visuals. Joined by a guitarist, Joe Waldbillig, bassist, Evan Nelson, drummers, Matthew Allen and Julian Russell and conguero, Aaron Gochberg. Prall creates a more jam-oriented live interpretation of his recorded music. ‘Revelator’ is the first of four singles in anticipation of Kainalu’s sophomore album, ‘Ginseng Hourglass’, releasing Fall of 2022.

Fresh off an Audiotree Live Session and a busy and successful run of shows at SXSW, Kainalu returns with the ultimate visualizer as a prelude to three more singles dropping in the coming months.

Beneath a titanic bass line lies a deep lyrical exploration of one’s relationship with the finiteness of life. The accompanying video uses the backdrop of the Great Sand Dunes National Park to playfully transport viewers into Kainalu’s kaleidoscopic daydream. The visuals combine vintage psychedelia and naturalistic beauty, transcending space through the sands of time.

Death is a peculiar place, and few people have learned to process through and articulate the empty space surrounding that place. Following the recent untimely passing of his mother, and the conversations they had surrounding her life and mortality in her last few months, Trent Prall took to creating an album that captures the tiny joys amid the trauma and wisdom in the emotional ruin. But don’t get it mistaken, though the subject matter is sad, ‘Ginseng Hourglass’ is anything but.

“I don’t want people to think this album is sad because it’s not.” recalls Prall. “I have always used music as a way to heal. That’s what this music is — a way to escape into a vibe and atmosphere when the world was crumbling. It’s meant to transport you into a world because that’s what I needed when I wrote it”.

The soft concept album is meant to resemble the falling sand in an hourglass — the embodiment of time slipping away, knowing one’s time is all the more precious. Moving from groove to groove across the project, the joy of their danceable tunes, dig deeper to reveal a rabbit hole of emotions and further processing in its lyrical content. Simply put, ‘Ginseng Hourglass’ is as much therapy as it is a fever dream, with Prall’s story front and center.

“I write to escape the thoughts that keep me up at night. It’s a therapy device and meditative practice. These past years we all experienced so much loss. On top of the pandemic, I really went through some serious trauma and I wrote this record because I needed to”.

In addition to being a musician, Prall has been on the frontlines of the pandemic as a genetic biologist who is obtaining his Master’s degree in Biology. His music meets science in the sense of how it connects and informs a bevy of audiences to dance through time and tears.

Headline photo: Julianna Photography

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