Review of SONA KMET – Don´t Let Me Go Home

Suppose you’re listening to the soundtrack of an American movie made for teens. You’re intrigued by the haunting vocals, but can’t place the voice.

Someday you’d probably be surprised if you learn it’s Sona Kmet, a Slovak singer-songwriter who works—in English.

A college sophomore and marketing major, Kmet loves pop music—and the English language. She admires the artistry of singer-songwriter Lorde—particularly Lorde’s Melodrama, Kmet’s favorite album. Similarly, Kmet’s own work telegraphs a combination of melodrama, youth and lightness. With Don’t Let Me Go Home, her debut EP released in September 2022, Kmet reveals the beginnings of her own musical journey.

Given her youth and the genre, Kmet’s entrance onto the music scene was the stuff of movie plots. Her first single, “Big Brother,” covered a heavy topic: the war in Ukraine. Because the EP was produced before “Big Brother” (and, given Kmet’s intense need to react to the invasion), the single was released earlier and thus is not part of the album.

In late spring 2022, Kmet introduced her single Knocks, the first song she’d ever written (at age 16). Later, in August, she released another single, Quiet Crowded Room. Both singles placed high in the playlists of Slovak Radio_FM, where Kmet´s music occurs in rotation despite not having been published by a label.

Don’t Let Me Go Home is a treasure-trove of songs Kmet says she wrote long ago, though it was years before she revealed them to anyone. Enter Tomáš Gulán, a musician and Kmet’s former high-school teacher. Gulán became a co-producer of the album—and, now, Kmet’s closest collaborator and biggest cheerleader.

“I don’t create impulsively,” Kmet says. “My inspiration always comes from an emotion and my writing process usually starts from a feeling I’ve been carrying in my heart for some time. I let my emotions evolve so that I can describe them honestly.” And although Slovak is her first language, Kmet says she writes in English “because it allows me a lot more room for expression than my native language.”

The EP consists of eight tracks, most of which have the potential to be released as singles. The most likely candidates? Two upbeat tunes — Watch Me and Invisible — or a slower, more mellow guitar piece, Twenty Two, Twenty Two.

Kmet also counts Frank Ocean and Beyonce among her faves for their versatility: “Although pop is a natural for me, I enjoy experimenting and creating surprises.” She adds wryly, “I like when you can’t predict what’s coming next in a song.”

Don’t Let Me Go Home is the personal story of a young musician finding her own direction. Though she’s just starting out, it’s clear Kmet has a precise vision of how she wants her music to sound. Dominant in this album are her layered vocals that are both harmonic and rhythmic.

About the band
In addition to Gulán on guitar and keyboard, the instrumentalists include Adrián Simonides (bass) and Matej Richtarčík (drums), members of the Slovak alternative pop band Positive Darkness. Their interest in Kmet’s music thrilled her: “Tomáš and I recorded some simple demo versions of the songs from the EP and then he sent them to his local musician friends. We were pleasantly surprised when accomplished musicians liked our music and said they want to be part of it.”

Kmet’s song Invisible also includes Adrián Mikušák (saxophone); piano accompaniment in Fresh Air is provided by well-known Slovak artist Daniel Špiner. “The collaboration with Daniel was also spontaneous. He heard the EP and wanted to contribute. I’d previously planned Fresh Air to be the only song with just a piano and my voice, so we recorded it in a couple of hours in his living room.”

Because Kmet had carried her songs in her head for so long, when it came to recording them, she had definite ideas about how that should go. “I’m a little selfish when it comes to my art. I didn’t really allow for my musicians to have too much artistic liberty. I did feel sorry about that but I had such a clear vision of how the songs should sound and what the atmosphere should be like and I wanted it to be that way. But when things weren’t as clear to me, I welcomed every idea.”

Emotions behind the music
Kmet says Don’t Let Me Go Home is about the everyday struggles of a young person, about finding one’s own way and understanding how one fits in. “I don’t aim for my music to be easily understood; I let listeners interpret it their own way. I just want to make music that’s authentic and complex—and, hopefully, that speaks to my audience.”

Kmet describes Don’t Let Me Go Home as a collection “about love, empowerment, and coming to terms with one’s fate. Don’t Let Me Go Home is a sentence you want to whisper to your lover before they walk you to the fence you grew up behind. It’s a sentence you tell yourself when keeping your eyes from becoming teary for the whole day, knowing damn well that as soon as your mother at home asks you how you’ve been, you’re going to burst into tears. Show your sensitive, weak side.”

“My home is portrayed on the cover. Two lovers, closest to my heart. Possibly also whispered my favourite sentence to each other many times.”

Kmet describes her debut album as something that helped her get over a past hurt: “so as I let this record heal my heart from almost 5 years ago when I started writing it, I let it become my life’s purpose 3 years ago, so it will take care of my soul forever.”

What’s ahead
It’ll be interesting to watch Kmet perform on a live stage. While she doesn’t yet have a full-time band, she and guitarist Gulán perform her music acoustically. A shadowy club stage might be just the setting for her emotive vocals. A finalist in the 2022 Bratislava Jazz Days Festival (October 21-23), Kmet will appear on the young artists stage. But who knows? Next year, she might take the main stage.

Meanwhile, Kmet is hard at work on new music for her first full-scale album, with the release date to be announced. And her next single, she says, will feature current social themes. Listeners won’t be disappointed!