St. George-based band KUMA releases new EP “Thick As Thieves”

ST. GEORGE — Southern Utah based indie rock band KUMA has released a four-song EP titled “Thick As Thieves,” now available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

“Thick As Thieves” is the band’s first recorded EP, joining the 2021 single “So Far We’re Good” in their recorded catalog. KUMA held an EP release show at Rock House Records on St. George Boulevard, playing to a packed house staggered among the record stacks. The show also coincided with Rock House Records’ anniversary celebration.

The EP kicks off with “White Noise,” which starts off warm and breezy and builds to a powerful finish. Track two is “Electric Kids,” a bouncy song that the band says is a “love letter to St. George,” where the band members grew up. The next song “Dreamin” slows the energy down a bit before changing tempos and finishing with my favorite guitar solo on the EP. The EP ends with the title track, “Thick As Thieves,” a song about falling out with a once good friend.

KUMA’s sound is reminiscent of The Killers’ big airy desert chords and The Strokes’ tight rhythms and classic guitar tone, while still maintaining a distinctly Utah Indie sound. The EP showcases the band’s excellent songwriting with great lyrics, guitar solos, and plenty of tempo and dynamic changes to keep the music interesting.

KUMA formed in 2017. Their current lineup features McLane Keenan on lead vocals and guitar, Barry Snow on guitar, Cade Gardner on bass guitar, and Jackson Carter on the drums. With the exception of Carter, the band members have know each other since elementary school.

“A lot of our music is based on escapism, or nostalgia,” said Snow. “White Noise” is about escaping the distractions in life, “Electric Kids” is about childhood nostalgia, “Dreamin” is about getting out of your head, and “Thick As Thieves” is about old friends.

Keenan said the band is excited to finally get their music out there. “It’s been in the works for about three years,” said Keenan. “Then within the last 6 months we really wanted to push it.” KUMA recorded the “Thick As Thieves” EP with Plaid Skeleton Studios in St. George, one of the only recording studios in the area.

“The St. George music scene is struggling for sure,” said Snow. “There’s not a whole lot of venues. Every show we’ve played has been a makeshift venue.”

With the exception of a few bars and bigger venues like Tuacahn or the Sand Hollow rock bowl, there are few live music venues in Southern Utah. Smaller local bands like KUMA have almost no options when it comes to playing live shows in St. George, unless they’re able to DIY. But it’s not for lack of demand.

“Every time we play we always have such a good crowd, always such a good show, a good atmosphere,” said Carter. “We wanna bring more of that to the area.”

KUMA will perform next at the Landslide Festival in Cedar City on September 3, during the Camp Couchstock concert.