PREMIERE | Kadhja Bonet, "Transistor"

Empowerment, equality, perspectives, perceptions, and Kadhja Bonet; photographed by Kelsi Gayda.

In the throes of the anxiety attack addled era of authoritarian actions and overtures: the movement, lessons, and take-aways should be toward motions of solidarity. Taking the measures to protect those of us that are the most vulnerable, looking out for one another, showing up and sticking up for one another against the tides of transphobia, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia and all the various anti-humanity behaviors that trend on the tech-broligarchy timeline feeds. As stability and securities falter under the dictatorial guise of vengeful visions, it is up to our forward leaning communities to lead with love and empathy to create sanctuaries of safety and palaces curated by the creative minds (and hearts of generosity).

Doing the work is Toronto’s shining star Kadhja Bonet who rolls out the debut of “Transistor” off the new EP Battlewear. The rustic cycle of demos follows up 2018’s Childqueen and The Visitor from 2016 that turns up the urgency for a more intensified degree of care and caution as we all collectively navigate the terrain of these brave new worlds. While the existential and very real threats against the LBTQ+ communities, minority groups, and other vulnerable folks are nothing new: the active menace to reduce, silence, and oppress all perceived opposition and dissenting peoples is happening on a scale that defies measure. Bonet brings a sound forged out of armor, building testaments not merely out of defense against the indefensible regressive trends that abound but as a way to break through with hope for an enlightened epoch of equality, empathy, and constructive actualization.

Through a tightly woven mix, Kadhja sings the body and spirit electric as symbols of humanity operating within the machines. “Transistor” is a light beaming beacon of autonomy and equality, activating the ghosts within the radio circuits. Bonet’s work broadcasts evocative visions, extolling a universal love and appreciation for all persons of all identities. “Transistor” rolls the dial wheel with a graceful and glorious fluidity that activates everyone and everything from the transmitters to the receivers, and all the signal receptors in between that proclaims the limitless beauty in all realizations, and transformations of being. A sense of unbridled joy takes flight in a chorus of bouncing laughter where a smile inducing series of “ha ha ha has” that dance and jump in time to Kadhja’s delivery. “Transistor” is a message of inclusivity, an ear worm with the aims of uniting and connecting people, towers to antennae, hearts to hearts, and spirits of all stripes together in harmony.

The Battlewear EP is a succinct survival guide to the menace of our modern age. The title track enters into the consortium of bad actors, duplicitous agents acting in the name of free speech that offer nothing more than to clamp down on dissenting voices from marginalized communities (or any counter arguments grounded in sensibility). The sentiment of reality and rationale disintegrating into the ether can be felt on the tense "Slipping" that feels like a prescient warning about all we have to lose, and all that is at stake in the face of a corrosive society caught in the clutches of hegemony. “Don’t Count on Us” keeps that analog demo quality cadence humming, continuing the threads of tension in a pop vignette set in our common era of late capitalist, technocratic policies centered around short term (and shortsighted) gains.

Broadcasting higher connections with Kadhja Bonet; photographed by Kelsi Gayda.

Kadhja Bonet provided the following meditations on the Battlewear EP:

Through this release I’ve been reconsidering what art is. For the longest time, I thought it required high production value. I falsely conflated a professional result with financial support. As such I held myself back from making videos, sure I couldn't compete in a market that requires cinematic quality for even everyday activities.

But I've learned to reconfigure my ideals and find joy in making the most of the least. With little to no budget, and without fancy gear, I put together campy videos that express exactly where I am. They are messy, whimsical, activated and inviting. We think the videos with the biggest budgets are the most worth our time, but they tend to use glossy visuals to hide a vapid underbelly. I’m here for DIY culture. I’m here for changing the narrative and reclaiming culture from commercialism.

Kadhja Bonet’s Battlewear EP is available via Bandcamp. Bonet’s next full length album is slated for early 2026.