Behind The Tracks: Desert Kites - Simple Cure (Single) (2026)

Simple Cure is our tribute to the rock and roll heroes who have left us prematurely. It was particularly inspired by the untimely death of Taylor Hawkins in 2022 and Edward Van Halen in 2020 (Hawkins was a huge fan of Van Halen, as are we), but it applies to so many great musical heroes that have been lost too young, Freddy Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, Bon Scott, John Lennon…the list goes on.

The anniversary of Hawkins' death is imminent, and it is a sad time for many people who remember what he brought to rock and roll history. We wanted to celebrate his legacy, as he celebrated so much that made rock great before him. Bands like Van Halen, The Police, and Queen were a huge influence on him, as they have been on us, and so we started writing this track with all this in mind.

The main riff harks back to classic hard rock and 80s hair metal, attempting to invoke the feeling of the times to a degree, but the chorus section feels more like a Foo Fighters riff. The breakdown consciously references The Police. The drums intentionally reference the style of Stuart Copeland, one of Hawkins's own major influences. I make no claims to be as good as EVH was on guitar, but he was a huge influence on my own playing style, and so the solo is my tribute to him. We even went as far as to fade out the 2nd guitar solo at the end of the track, which was something that really used to piss me off back in the day. Just as it starts to get going, it disappears, leaving a tantalising glimpse of what you might have missed.

Lyrically, the message is clear. It's all about loss, love, and healing. Hopefully, it resonates with rock fans all over the world.

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