Alright gang, as I furiously scramble to work through my backlog (which backlog, exactly? all of them) I thought it was a great time to turn the calendar back to early 2024. I’m always missing shit, so the occasional reach backward into the pile tends to be necessary. And what immediately jumped out at me this time? Well, I mean, duh. Look at that image. Kólga, the blackened surf rock entity, released Black Tides back in March through Otitis Media Records. In the mood for something totally out there, this is absolutely gold. Full honesty, I was hoping to just get some modest amusement from a surf rock / black metal hybrid. Yet instead I find myself… enjoying this a ton more than I expected and in more ways than I expected. Who knew! But you know what’s also incredibly entertaining? This latest Profile feature. Give it a read below and hit that Bandcamp embed while you’re at it. It’ll bring your Tuesday up a notch or two without a doubt.

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

I started playing my father’s acoustic guitar and the contrabass when I was 12 years old. I played in rock bands in high school. I moved to Austin after graduating and quickly found that the Live Music Capital of the World moniker, was total bullshit. I moved back to Dallas and joined The Feebs, a fucking absurd grindcore band. My mother recently confessed she was scared of the other members. But both my parents attend Kólga shows to this day.

Kólga is the brainchild of my dear friend and long-time songwriting partner, Jason Mullins. He was hit by lightning behind the abandoned Pilgrim’s Pride slaughter house and wrote all these here songs and asked us to fill it out with him.

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

So it’s pretty much if Agalloch had to cover Dick Dale, but also did a couple bumps of ketamine with Don Johnson, Roy Orbison, and Jello Biafra in 1982, before tracking the thing.

Is there one (or more) thing about your latest / upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

Soon “Black Tides” will be available on Pest Productions, a siiiiicckk tape label in China. I am very pumped.

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

Once after staying up all night, I was forced to drive the van through the Border Patrol checking point on the east side of El Paso. I put on my best good ole’ boy accent and we flew right through that thing.  I pulled over at the next service station to grab a well-deserved snack. As I exited the shop I crossed the driveway next to gas pumps, a typical small gas station setup. Half way across I heard a large vehicle coming right up on my heels, too close. With our turning my head I did a little dance and flipped on the car that had nearly rammed me. A sudden thick west Texas accent loudly commanded, “Come here. Boy,” followed shortly by every door on our tour van slamming at once. I spun on my heels to behold none other than the Sheriff of one those massive uninhabited counties soaked in the blood of Cormac McCarthy, a certainly loaded AR-15 staring at me from inside his official pickup. Whoops. I lived to tell the tale, even got him to chuckle by the end. Fuck cops.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

I am tired of worship bands. Come up with something new. Put something new into it.

I do think there’s some cool experimentation happening over the last few years. Free jazz horns and noise metal is rad, might not be the most original idea but it always feels different and fresh.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

Well I want to be an Anarchist but I’m not sure I really am. Divine had a really great platform since this planet is cancelled anyways. If there was a red button that erased humanity from the earth without killing the rest of the global ecosystem I would push that thang. And then again I have a mutual aid distro in my yard. But then property is theft so fuck it.

Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

I enjoy a good kerosene toss, though I have burned down a tent with a few people inside as a result. I really like the Riparian Biome, just being in or near it is great.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

Be more like the Jett review by Pitchfork. Also have my exact taste.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

I’ve been thinking about opening a Bed and Breakfast in Portugal. Maybe a winery. Know anything about grapes?

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

Peter Gabriel – “IO”
Slowdive – “Everything is Alive”
The Silmarillion – “Read by Andy Serkis”

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

Writing, writing, writhing. Next show in June. Let’s go.

Summarize your band in one word.

Chorgon.

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Many thanks to Kólga for the time, and the absolutely incredible responses.

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Black Tides is out through Otitis Media Records. For more on Kólga, jump over to their Instagram or Facebook pages.