UK rap duo Kings Cvstle brings the emotions in their new single Rome.

Brotherly love is at its purest with Kings Cvstle. Identical twins Peter and Daniel King have crafted a discography together that showcases their dynamism and craftsmanship, creating tracks that are equal parts euphoric and emotive. Their latest track Rome is a perfect representation of this. With soaring piano melodics, lush vocals and a beat that you just can’t get out of your head, Rome is a reflective track that charts the brother duo coming of age in working-class London.

With a debut EP En Route quite literally en route, 1883 Magazine chats with the siblings to discuss Rome, their inspirations, and more.

What was it about music that made you want to pursue it as a career? Did you always want to do it together as siblings?

For us music is a form of therapy. Especially rap music in particular as we are able to get all our thoughts out on a page. When we are writing or producing, life’s problems are pushed aside and we can focus on what we truly love, which is music. We have always wanted to do it together as siblings because we are more than just siblings, we are identical twins so we have faced almost everything together in life from day one.

Rome is a powerful track. What is the inspiration and creative process behind it?
The inspiration behind Rome comes from our motivation towards building the Kings Cvstle legacy and reaching our goals. To us, the track is about pushing and pushing regardless of the hurdles you may face because “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. With regards to the creative process, we just knew Paradox was perfect for the second verse owing to his reflective lyrical content. After sending him the beat we had him at our studio the following week and after an hour or so the track was done. 

It’s a quite honest and open track, are you ever hesitant about exposing yourself through songwriting or is it a form of therapy for you?

I’d say it’s a form of therapy for us. One of the main reasons we both do music in the first place is because it allows us to escape from the stresses of everyday life. Moreover, because our writing is personal and about our lived experiences it gives us time to reflect and process them. Ultimately we are proud of the fact that we wear our hearts on our sleeves. Being open and honest is important to us and we know others will relate to our struggle in turn helping them with their own. 

What did you learn about yourself while writing and recording it?

We came to realise just how much we want this! By ‘this’ we mean a successful career in music. Writing and recording the track reminded us that we are in this for the long run. Rome really set a benchmark for us and the EP that follows shows we are taking this seriously and putting time into our craft.

The visuals for the track are a nod to your beginnings. What was it like recording the music video? Are your visuals something you think about while you’re making the work or is it something you figure out after?

The day of filming brought back so many memories as my verse is shot in our hometown ‘Waltham Forest’. Although we only live 20 minutes from there now we aren’t there as much as we used to be so it was dope to be there for the day and to see some familiar faces. For Paradox’s verse, we went to his hometown ‘Lambeth’ in South London which was interesting as owing to recent gentrification the area has changed so much yet so much stays the same. And yes we are heavily involved in our visuals and for the most part, direct our own videos. The ideas usually spring to mind after writing and recording the track, I suppose it takes some time to really process new music and work out visuals to reflect it. 

The track is part of an upcoming EP called En Route. What can listeners expect from that collection of work?

Yes our Debut EP ‘En Route’ lands on Friday 5th November 2022. For the most part it is an uplifting EP while still staying true to the personal storytelling of Kings Cvstle’s Vibe. We called it En Route as we hope to take listeners on a journey through our castle of thoughts. Our listeners can expect some heart-felt bangers! 

What are some artists and tracks that influenced the EP? 

It’s tough to say who influenced the EP specifically as I feel my artistry is influenced by so many. Ultimately artists such as J Cole, Lil Simz, Loyle Carner and Bugzy Malone motivate us to keep pushing and staying true to our craft. 

What 3 songs would you choose to soundtrack your perfect day?

Our perfect day is a relaxed stress-free day haha So the three tracks would have to be DayDreamin By Lupe Fiasco, Self Care by Mac Miller and Shoot and Kill by Little Simz. 

Lastly, what can we expect next from you?

You can expect our next single Pour My Heart which lands with a music video Friday 30th September and then our EP ‘En Route’ on November 5th 2022. 

Rome is out now.