Idles -Brutalism
Bailey Records | Release Date: 10th March 2017 Kids Insane - Cluster
Redfield Records | Release Date: 10th March 2017
Time for some ferocious punk now, and Idles are
forcing it right down your throats and straight into
your stomachs with the release of debut album
‘Brutalism’. Breaking out of the intimate Israeli punk and hardcore
world is pretty difficult to achieve. However, one of the
bands making waves in recent years is Tel Aviv’s Kids
Insane, boasting European tours with the likes of Defeater
and Slander. With the addition of new guitarist, Ofek, the
band’s 2nd full length album, Cluster, sees them switch from
their initial angst-ridden hardcore a la Defeater and Touche
Amore to now having an added “rock n roll swagger” similar
to Every Time I Die, John Coffey and even The Bronx.
Frontman, Corey, has always been able to hold a note but here
his voice has more melody and takes on a more rock timbre,
as does the music overall. Songs like opening track, Left Right
Left, Killing Us (featuring Thom Weeks of Gnarlwolves) and
Not A Slave provide infectious, more melodic sing-a-longs
compared to their shout-worthy anthems of their All Over
debut. Quite uncharacteristically, Overthinking utilises
back-up oohs and an organ like a spooky 60s garage rock
song while Full Tank can easily be mistaken for Trent Reznor
fronting Deftones until everything changes when those
dirty riffs kick in. Even with the vocals and riffs bringing
something new to the table, songs like Varicose and Not Yet
help secure that classic aggressive hardcore sound, creating
some sort of consistency throughout Cluster. Their usual
subject matter of oppression and hating where you live is
starting to sound a little cliché, with some of the empowering
choruses also seeming like forced attempts at the next big
hardcore anthem. Fans of The Bronx and Every Time I Die
may embrace Kids Insane’s musical detour and find Cluster
to be an interesting and memorable record. For others who
fell in love with the simple angst of All Over, it might take
some time to fully appreciate it.
The clue is in the title with this one as every song is
tinged with a brutal edge. ‘Well Done’, whilst comedic
in lyrics, is brushed with conversation about life’s
pressures, ‘Mother’ is an honest refl