# New West (band)
**New West** is a Canadian music collective formed in 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, comprising the songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Kala Wita, Lee Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089). Its sound mixes classic Britpop, contemporary indie pop, and alternative R&B, and the group became widely known through the 2019 viral single "Those Eyes"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089). The members insist that they are a collective rather than a band in the conventional sense: they rotate instruments on stage, share the microphone, and avoid fixed roles[2](https://www.audacy.com/947/news/canadian-collective-new-west-explains-perfect-imbalance-and-constant-flux-of-chaos).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Formed 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; known as the .wav before adopting the New West name in 2018[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089) |
| Members | Kala Wita, Lee Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West, all multi-instrumentalists who write together[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089) • [3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/) |
| Breakthrough | "Those Eyes" (2019), a piano ballad written as the group's first song together, passed 100 million cumulative views and was certified platinum in Canada[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/) • [4](https://www.thesoundcafe.com/post/toronto-alternative-collective-new-west-unveil-much-anticipated-debut-album-based-on-a-true-story) |
| Labels | Dine Alone Records singles (2021), then the EP *In Good Time* (2022), which brought a deal with Giant/Republic, distributed in Canada by Universal Music[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/) |
| Debut album | *Based on a True Story...* (October 20, 2023), 11 songs in 38 minutes[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/based-on-a-true-story/1706571576) |
| Streaming scale | "Those Eyes" had exceeded 220 million Spotify streams by mid-2023[6](https://capricho.abril.com.br/entretenimento/new-west-procura-explorar-a-criatividade-e-o-coletivo-na-musica/) |
## Formation and early releases
The four members worked together creatively for a couple of years before their first widely heard song[7](https://newwest199x.com/blogs/behindthemusic/thoseeyes). Under the earlier name the .wav, they adopted the New West moniker in 2018 and released the debut EP *Call Me When You Hear This Song* in 2019[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089).
"Those Eyes" came out of a writing retreat in a cabin in the Canadian wilderness, and Kala Wita has called it an anomaly: it was the first thing the group ever wrote together[2](https://www.audacy.com/947/news/canadian-collective-new-west-explains-perfect-imbalance-and-constant-flux-of-chaos). In a 2021 post on their own site, the band recalled the song's [guitar chords](https://www.edgepedia.org/guitar-chord) first being played on a couch at a cottage, and described the track as the first one that felt "timeless and genuinely special"[7](https://newwest199x.com/blogs/behindthemusic/thoseeyes). The single earned more than 100 million cumulative views across platforms and versions[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/).
## Recordings and labels
The original recording of "Those Eyes" led to a relationship with Toronto's Dine Alone Records, which released a series of New West singles in 2021[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/). Those releases culminated in the EP *In Good Time*, which attracted the attention of the US labels Giant/Republic, distributed in Canada by Universal Music[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/). AllMusic identifies "Balenciaga," from the 2022 EP, as the group's alternative radio breakthrough[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089).
The collective's first full-length album, *Based on a True Story...*, appeared on October 20, 2023, running 11 songs in 38 minutes[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/based-on-a-true-story/1706571576). Parts of it were recorded at Rockfield Studio, a farm in England; attentive listeners can hear birds chirping and, at the end of "Cold Tea," a very quiet "moo" captured on a voice note[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/). Noel West produced, mixed, engineered, and mastered the album, and all four members contributed writing and instrumentation[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/).
Rather than replicate "Those Eyes," the album deliberately recast the group as, in Apple Music's summary, "the last Britpop band standing," with Wembley-scale sing-alongs and symphonic textures filtered through a 2023 production lens[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/based-on-a-true-story/1706571576). Ben Key named Oasis, [Travis](https://www.edgepedia.org/travis-band), Keane, Coldplay, and Blur as inspirations, describing the group's aim as walking "that line between classic and fresh"[5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/based-on-a-true-story/1706571576).
## How the group works
⭐ The members reject the word "band." Noel West has said the group arose not from a fixed line-up but from four people each bringing their own artistry, with "vaguely defined roles"[2](https://www.audacy.com/947/news/canadian-collective-new-west-explains-perfect-imbalance-and-constant-flux-of-chaos). On stage they constantly switch instruments; in the studio anyone's idea is recorded freely[2](https://www.audacy.com/947/news/canadian-collective-new-west-explains-perfect-imbalance-and-constant-flux-of-chaos).
The members use stage names rather than their birth names[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/). Wita writes most of the lyrics, and the group refines every song together: "We all chip away at it together... We usually all agree on what's the best thing for the song," Wita told SOCAN's *Words and Music*[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/). The final form of a track, he explained, "depends on what it wants to be," which is how a song can become either a sparse ballad or a layered, intense production[3](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/).
## Performance and reach
The group's visibility grew quickly after the viral single. In 2023 it made its late-night television debut performing "Those Eyes" on *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*, and its 2023 bundle homecoming / in my city gathered millions of streams[4](https://www.thesoundcafe.com/post/toronto-alternative-collective-new-west-unveil-much-anticipated-debut-album-based-on-a-true-story). The same year the collective played at [Soundrenaline](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundrenaline) in Indonesia, where it brought Indonesian Idol winner Nyoman Paul on stage for a duet on "Those Eyes"[4](https://www.thesoundcafe.com/post/toronto-alternative-collective-new-west-unveil-much-anticipated-debut-album-based-on-a-true-story).
⭐ Touring around the debut album followed gigs with Tegan And Sara and an Austin City Limits debut, and included opening for Charlotte Cardin in the United States and a headline show at The Opera House in Toronto in December[4](https://www.thesoundcafe.com/post/toronto-alternative-collective-new-west-unveil-much-anticipated-debut-album-based-on-a-true-story). The group continues to release music on its own website and Bandcamp, including the 2024 singles "Credits" and "HAPPIER!" and a limited Galaxy Green vinyl pressing of the debut album limited to 500 copies[8](https://newwest199x.com/).
## Other acts with the same name
The name New West is shared by unrelated acts. A 1987 pop/rock album titled *New West* was recorded by the band Walking Wounded[9](https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-west-mw0000197258). New West Records is an American independent label whose roster includes [Willie Nelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/willie-nelson), Steve Earle, and [Drive-By Truckers](https://www.edgepedia.org/drive-by-truckers), among many others[10](https://newwestrecords.com/en-gb/pages/all-artists-nwr). Separately, Ashley Raines fronts a folk and [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana) group called The New West Review[11](https://elmoremagazine.com/2017/10/reviews/albums/ashley-raines-the-new-west-review).
## References
1. [New West, Biography and Discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-west-mn0004423089)
2. [Don't call New West a band; the Canadian collective explains their perfect imbalance and 'constant flux of chaos', Audacy 94/7](https://www.audacy.com/947/news/canadian-collective-new-west-explains-perfect-imbalance-and-constant-flux-of-chaos)
3. [For New West, final version of each song “depends on what it wants to be”, SOCAN Words and Music](https://www.socanmagazine.ca/features/for-new-west-final-version-of-each-song-depends-on-what-it-wants-to-be/)
4. [Toronto Alternative Collective New West Unveil Much Anticipated Debut Album 'Based On A True Story', The Sound Cafe](https://www.thesoundcafe.com/post/toronto-alternative-collective-new-west-unveil-much-anticipated-debut-album-based-on-a-true-story)
5. [Based On A True Story... Album by New West, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/based-on-a-true-story/1706571576)
6. [New West procura explorar a criatividade e o coletivo na música, Capricho](https://capricho.abril.com.br/entretenimento/new-west-procura-explorar-a-criatividade-e-o-coletivo-na-musica/)
7. [Those Eyes, New West official website](https://newwest199x.com/blogs/behindthemusic/thoseeyes)
8. [New West, Official Website](https://newwest199x.com/)
9. [New West – Walking Wounded, AllMusic album page](https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-west-mw0000197258)
10. [All Artists, New West Records](https://newwestrecords.com/en-gb/pages/all-artists-nwr)
11. [Ashley Raines & the New West Review, Elmore Magazine](https://elmoremagazine.com/2017/10/reviews/albums/ashley-raines-the-new-west-review)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands › Pop rock and power pop bands › 2000s and later pop rock*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license