The triumphant, glowing project meditates on allowing oneself to break free of fear, resistance, familial expectations, and other obstacles to pursue authenticity and create art. Vocalist Pooja Prabakaran is proud to present an honest and joyful project. "I'm so proud of how open, raw, and vulnerable we were in writing this album. It's sure to make people both dance and introspect!"

The group will officially celebrate the record with a release show at The Virgil in Los Angeles on April 25 with tickets on sale now here.

Atlanta-based indie pop/rock trio Koyal shared their honest, dazzling second studio album "breathe in. breathe out" on the 28 of February 2025 alongside the official lyric video for the pensive, measured tune "half alive."

The album, filled with glistening melodies, bubbling production, and slick instrumentation, is an earnest look at life's ups and downs and offers solace with unwavering optimism and understanding.

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Photo credit: Gabriel Trujillo

Recorded in Philadelphia at Dr. Dog’s rehearsal space and studio, Headroom Studios, co-produced by guitarist Noah Weinstein and Philadelphia-based musician Jeff Lucci (Mo Lowda & the Humble), and engineered by Ian Steinberg, a childhood friend of Weinstein, the group is thrilled to share a body of work that represents who they are today as they chart all new territory, face their fears, take risks and firmly, excitedly introduce themselves.

Weinstein shares, "I’m so grateful to have co-produced this album with Jeff Lucci leading me through new waters, as 'breathe in. breathe out' is by far the biggest record I’ve worked on. It took a lot of meditation to decide the sonic direction of the album, but working with Wallace and Pooja, we channeled our shared experiences and tastes to create a signature rich indie pop sound that we are incredibly proud of." There was additional production by Atlanta producer and multi-instrumentalist Tony Doud and Desmond Myers and was mixed by Harper James and mastered by Joe LaPorta.

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Also out with the album is "half alive," a building ballad about what it means to live, and the desire to be the best one can be, alongside its sunset-soaked lyric video with animations by Prabakaran. On the track, the vocalist shares, "It came to me after months of feeling creatively stifled by a job I felt pushed into. I woke up at 4 AM with the song in my head and recorded a voice note in the dark." Sonically their most creative yet, the track features hundreds of tracks filled with various unique sounds that were created by running instruments through pedals, recorded by distant amps in another room, and then run through even more gear. Prabakaran continues, "They even had me sing into guitar pickups for my doubles. It is dramatic, cinematic, and long, but the slow burn is worth the wait. The animations exemplify the slow burn of half alive and explode at the end when the drums and guitars are wailing 'set me free!'"

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Koyal is made up of best friends Pooja Prabakaran (vocals), Noah Weinstein (guitar/producer) and Wallace (drums) who met in their Atlanta college basement and each earned engineering degrees. Fueled by their tight-knit friendship and shared love of Glass Animals, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and GROUPLOVE, the three friends began writing songs and have since amassed a loyal following with their genre-defying sound, dazzling instrumentation and relatable lyricism.

The group played at Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival last year, and in 2023, sold out their hometown venue and set out on an East Coast tour. Now, after a string of singles released earlier this year and their new album out in the world, the trio aims to solidify their place in the rising indie pop/rock sphere with their hearts on their sleeves.

On the genre-blending, heartfelt collection breathe in. breathe out, now available on Archodia Music, Koyal navigates all of life's trials and tribulations with the safety and comfort of each other.

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