REVIEW: Kevin Koplar – ‘To A Better Dark’

With his debut full-length ‘To A Better Dark’, LA-based troubadour Kevin Koplar looks to rewrite the folk-rock conversation in his own tongue. Balancing vintage soul and sun-drenched grit with a modern emotional clarity, this album proves Koplar isn’t content with revivalism, he’s on a mission to build something resonant, personal, and entirely his own.

Across ten richly textured tracks, Koplar shows off a rare ability to oscillate between vulnerability and vitality without ever losing the plot. You get the sense he grew up on dusty records and reel-to-reel confessionals, but also lived through enough late nights and heartbreaks to give his own voice weight. There’s a dynamism in the songwriting itself, which never leans too far into nostalgia or self-indulgence.

What ‘To A Better Dark’ does best is offer a window into an artist pulling threads from the past and tying them into something grounded in the now. The warm hum of analogue influence is unmistakable, but refracted through a contemporary lens. Koplar’s gift is knowing when to lean into that shimmer, and when to let the silence speak louder.

There’s a cohesion to the record, not just sonically but emotionally. Whether it’s a track that crests with the pulse of a barroom anthem or a gentle lament that feels like a journal entry left open on the nightstand, everything here feels part of a bigger journey. Koplar’s voice serves as the compass through it all.

‘To A Better Dark’ feels like a foundational stone to his work to date. It’s the sound of an artist fully aware of where he came from, but even more curious about where he’s headed next. For fans of folk-rock that challenges as much as it comforts, Kevin Koplar is an artist to keep your ears on.