“This Time Around” is the new EP from Wichita’s Keo & Them.
The neo-soul outfit has earned a reputation as one of Wichita’s most sonically diverse acts. The band will celebrate the release of the recording with a Halloween show on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Odd Fellow Hall, 930 W. Douglas.
The bill will also feature performances from The Cavves, 2ŁØT, Paris Jane, Habibi Ali, tv-ma+Siouxx (the 27 Klub). The afterlife-themed party will also feature caged dancers, drag and live art from Sheldon Draper.
Keo and band member Nathan Harrison recently visited the KMUW studios to talk about the EP and the growth that Keo & Them has undergone in the last few years.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Tell me a little bit about the material on this new EP.
Keo: The EP comes from a place where I [was] learning what the world was. I had been going through experiences of betrayal or being used and kind of overstaying my welcome in a way that would continually get me hurt. The EP ends with the song “Personal,” [which] kind of ties it in a nice little bow and says that despite where I’m at with the people or how much I’ve been hurt by the people that these songs are about, it’s going to all right. You’re going to be OK. You’re gonna be fine.
Tell me about the title of the record.
Keo: The EP’s called “This Time Around.” The title’s just perfect. It actually took us a while to come up with the title. We went through really long lists of 30 different names. When we first heard “This Time Around,” it just made sense. Having gone through [what I did] and knowing what I know, this time around, I know how to respond and how to act accordingly.
There’s a tie-in of growth and progress.
Nathan Harrison: The song “Personal” is a good summation of how [things happen] and we take it personal, but it’s also part of being a human, working through all these different things. This time around, on this trip, this is [what’s] happening. But it’s this time around. It’s part of a larger existence and a larger reality. We’re growing from these things.
This has also been a time of growth for the band itself. There’s been a lot of activity over the last year, year-plus.
Keo: Whenever I think about that, to process it is so much. The growth of Keo & Them … we’ve gone through so many iterations of Keo & Them. I love the versions before but this one has always felt really right. The way that we all articulate our voices when it comes to [writing]. Nathan’s a vocalist but also [plays] guitar and synth. He helps compose some parts on songs. The way that he’s been able to do that always fits well with what we are trying to do. [Cece Raheb] adds her bass and her vocals as well. It all fits really well. It feels right.
NH: I’m excited by [Cece and Keo’s] influences and the fusion [of the two].
There seems to be a sense of unity in the Wichita music scene at the moment. I think about shows where genres don’t necessarily match but somehow it makes sense for those acts to be on the same bill.
Keo: I feel like we’re able to be on bills with bands that you wouldn’t [normally] see us paired up with. Different being on bills with [bands of different genres] helps bridge the division that’s there. I don’t think [I saw] that type of thing before COVID, and I see it so much more now. I do genuinely believe that that is the thing that has helped us connect more as a music scene in Wichita.
