“Morning Star” - KB-S
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Minneapolis-based producer KB-S isn’t interested in making noise for noise’s sake — he’s sculpting emotion. His latest release, the evocatively titled “Morning Star”, dropped on June 13, 2025, and it’s a vivid reminder that instrumental music doesn’t need words to say a lot. Clocking in as both an introspective meditation and a slow-burning sonic fever dream, this single solidifies KB-S as one of the more quietly magnetic voices in downtempo hip-hop and ambient trap.
At its core, “Morning Star” is about obsessive love — not the soft, heart-eye emoji kind, but the raw, jittery, up-till-4-a.m. version that leaves your chest tight and your brain looping. That tension is front and centre from the first few seconds, where a somber, almost melancholic guitar line spills out like a late-night confession. There’s something tender and vulnerable in its simplicity, but as it loops and distorts, it starts to feel... off-kilter.
Then comes the bass drop, which doesn’t explode so much as it seeps in, thick and resonant like a heavy thought you can’t shake. There’s a fullness to it — almost a warmth — but it hums with unease. The lo-fi drums stay subdued, never overpowering, but adding just enough snap to give the track its pulse. From there, it’s a slow build of layered textures: glitchy fragments, ambient haze, even the occasional vocal sample — just enough to flirt with structure before disappearing into the mist again.
KB-S produced the entire track solo, from composition to final mastering, in his home studio — and you can hear that intimacy in every detail. There’s no filler here, no over-the-top production gimmicks. Instead, “Morning Star” feels painstakingly intentional. That makes sense considering the process: one month of deep work, multiple rearrangements, and a perfectionist’s eye for layering. Every sound feels placed, not just played.
There’s a weird paradox at work in “Morning Star”: the more it expands outward sonically, the more inward it seems to go emotionally. It’s a song that’s simultaneously cosmic and claustrophobic — a dreamscape painted in grayscale. This makes it ridiculously versatile. You could throw it on as a nighttime drive soundtrack, play it while coding or studying, or just let it wash over you while you zone out on your couch. And somehow, it adapts to each mood like it was designed specifically for that moment.
What’s really fascinating about KB-S’s style — especially evident here — is the way he manages to strike a balance between lo-fi rawness and studio precision. The song feels handmade, but never sloppy. Emotional, but never melodramatic. For a genre that often thrives in the background (lofi beats to study/relax to, etc.), “Morning Star” demands — and deserves — a foreground listen. It rewards headphones. It begs you to lean in.
And though it’s technically an instrumental, this track speaks volumes. There’s a narrative arc to it — the rise, the collapse, the haze after the storm — that’s as emotionally resonant as any lyric-heavy ballad. You walk away feeling like you’ve heard a story, even if you’re not quite sure what it was. That’s the magic of what KB-S is doing here: he’s not spelling out your emotions — he’s giving them a soundscape.
In a music landscape overflowing with copy-paste beatmakers and algorithm-baiting loops, KB-S is carving out something quieter, deeper, and more human. “Morning Star” isn’t just a vibe — it’s a mirror. And whether you’re heartbroken, inspired, or just floating through the noise of 2025, this track will meet you right where you are.
KB-S might be a solo act, but with work this immersive, you won’t feel alone.
“Morning Star” is available now on all major streaming platforms
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Listen to KB-S and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Indie & Alternative’
