Minneapolis indie musician and former Gopher Bobby Kabeya is setting himself up for a bright future with a hot new project from his group, Miloe.
Kabeya is the band’s front man, with University of Minnesota second-year Thomas Schroeder on guitar. The duo is set to release their upcoming EP “Greenhouse” on Oct. 30.
Kabeya, who is taking time off from school during the pandemic, lived with his family in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until he was 8 and then moved to the U.S. to reunite with his father, who had been granted asylum in the States and was working as a journalist.
Kabeya grew up going to shows for local bands like Hippo Campus and the Happy Children of Normal Parents. Now he cites members of Hippo Campus and the Happy Children as mentors, saying they will come by his studio sometimes to help with projects.
Caleb Hinz, lead singer of the Happy Children, met Kabeya before he started Miloe, when Hinz heard Kabeya’s high school band, Night Stones, play at a local house show five years ago.
“I remember hitting him up — he sent me these demos, and I was blown away. And I was like, ‘Dude, we gotta get in the studio and work on these together,’” said Hinz.
Members of Hippo Campus met Kabeya when he jumped on stage to dance during one of their concerts; they then got to speak with him after the show. Jake Luppen, lead singer of the now nationally acclaimed Hippo Campus, said he has no doubts Kabeya will make something of himself and his music.
“[Miloe] is the future of the scene. His songwriting is incredibly developed,” Luppen said.
Kabeya went on tour around the Midwest two summers ago to promote Miloe’s self titled EP, “Miloe.” Much of his time this last summer was spent working on advancing his technical music skills. “I’ve been trying to strengthen my own production skills,” said Kabeya. GarageBand is his main music creation platform when he is not working with a producer in the studio.
The majority of Miloe’s new EP “Greenhouse” was written and recorded in the winter of 2019 but in the wake of this year’s constant changes and obstacles, the release was pushed back to this fall.
“The newer stuff has a lot more energy than the stuff put out before. I think it’s because we have a lot more options for how we want our songs to sound. We have a lot more resources,” Schroeder said.
“Greenhouse” generates the feeling of a summer’s day paired with lyrics of teen romance and the complexities of finding yourself in adolescence. The youthful EP brings listeners back to their younger years and melodramatic relationships via ‘80s reminiscent synth tunes and bouncy guitar.
“I wanted to capture a bright summery vibe, which was a contrast to my first EP,” said Kabeya.
“Greenhouse” is meant to be a blanket of joyful reflection as Minnesota moves forward into colder months.
A livestream showcasing the EP’s music is set for later this fall. Miloe’s next concert, opening for Beach Bunny, is planned for fall of 2021. Kabeya then plans to head back out on the road with Schroeder for Miloe’s first nationwide tour.
Kabeya said, “It doesn’t feel real. It’s just on the calendar, and you’re watching, hoping that it happens.”
