(SAN DIEGO, CA 8 July, 2025): Pacific Records is proud to welcome Matt Krahula to the label. Krahula, a multi-instrumental singer-songwriter and producer, brings impressive credentials spanning from NYC to Hawaii and currently Illinois. With an affinity for alt-folk music, he honed his Americana roots in the NYC music scene, receiving many accolades. A demo of his song “Mary” was nominated for an Independent Music Award for Best Alt-Folk Song of the Year, while his sophomore album, “Last Goodbye,” hit the College Music Journal’s Top 40.
Seeking new inspiration, Krahula moved to Honolulu in 2018. Immersing himself in the island’s culture and music, he established himself as a standout. Before long, he began playing stand-up and electric bass with the legendary, Grammy-nominated Henry Kapono and band. During a six-year stint with Kapono, he opened for notables such as Chicago, Mick Fleetwood, Common Kings, and Lee Oskar. He also played bass with E’kahi Awards winner, singer-songwriter, and guitarist Jacob Staron in Hook & Line, Hawaii’s foremost bluegrass band.
Kapono’s team quickly recognized Krahula’s gift and chose him as an “inaugural” member of their selective “On the Rise” musical program. The program, part of Kapono’s Foundation, elevates Hawai‘i’s emerging artists through mentoring and strategic industry partnerships. “I love working with Matt. He’s a talented artist, musician, and songwriter. Working on “These Islands” is kind of a bittersweet song about loving and leaving a special place and special friends,” said Henry Kapono about their musical collaboration.
Krahula’s upcoming release, This Island Life (July 18, 2025), melds traditional Hawaiiana with pop-infused, alternative country. A labor of love, the album chronicles the seven years he spent on Oahu. He has crafted a cadre of island-inspired tunes that pay autobiographical homage to his time in Hawaii. The album is an invitation to kick back, relax, and experience some island magic. Matt is joined by notable Hawaiian musicians and friends, including the iconic Henry Kapono and rising star Jenny Yim, both of whom have used Matt as a bass player for their projects. “Stars Align is such a beautiful song, and I was so honored that Matt invited me to sing with him on this track. This song captures the sweetness of being in love, and I absolutely adore how it came out,” shares Yim on the duet they sing.
The traditional bass, drums, and guitar are complemented by the gifted Jonny Lam on pedal and lap steel (Miranda Lambert, Nora Jones, David Byrne) and Jacob Staron on mandolin and cello (Taimane Gardner). Together, they flow between lush string arrangements and ambient guitars, while never losing sight of Krahula’s songwriting. Reminiscing about the album creation, Lam shared, “Matt and I would just sit and have coffee and listen to the tracks and pull up other references for things we were hearing. References from music we loved, it was a nice experience to share and create music in this way.”
The single, These Islands, featuring Kapono’s work, will be released on July 8, 2025, exclusively on Apple Music and iTunes as an instant gratification track. The full album, This Island Life, drops on July 18, 2025. Krahula will be touring and performing throughout summer and fall 2025 to promote the release.
To pre-order the album, and listen to the new single click here: https://orcd.co/thisislandlife
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ABOUT PACIFIC RECORDS
Pacific Records is a Southern California-based record label that incorporates all aspects of the music business, including marketing, production, and distribution services. Founded by entertainment attorney Brian Witkin, Pacific Records began as a record store chain that evolved into a multi-dimensional entity spanning recording studios, engineering services, music merchandising, and talent buying services. However, its core business remains as an independent record label and music publisher. The label that has an oceanic allure inherent in its DNA releases a wide array of music genres – from rock, Americana, Hawaiian, blues, and hip-hop to world music, new age, classical guitar, reggae, and jazz. Pacific Records is distributed worldwide by The Orchard, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, through a partnership with Burnside Distribution Corporation. https://pacificrecords.com.