It’s been a massive growth in a short space of time for London/Leeds due Kamikaze Girls. With this being their debut EP (they had released single tracks up until now) the duo have already toured with the likes of Moose Blood, The Merzingers and Modern Baseball and have a series of shows lined up in support of this release. The band are here to make a difference both in ideals and in sound with their unique fuzz rock sound providing a background to discuss many unspoken issues including mental health and addiction and from start to finish to a very good job in doing so.
Opener Hexes wastes no time in establishing exactly what the duo are all about as a fuzzy rock riff comes in before Lucinda Lawson’s entrancing vocal switches bring the listener in. There are some comparisons to Becca McIntyre in Lucinda’s delivery on this track but she is very much her own person on the music here with this track dealing with the issue of anxiety, an issue that is not spoken about anywhere near enough. This is done in brilliant songwriting fashion though as the mixture of frantic and melodic sounds blends excellently and effortlessly together.
The next track, Stitches, brings memories of Everlong styled Foo Fighters and early Smashing Pumpkins influenced sounds ot the table but with the vocal delivery of bands such as L7 into the pot of musical wonders that Kamikaze Girls create. This song never seems to have a break and with the excellent songwriting and brilliantly crafted melodic chorus, it doesn’t have to.
I Hate Funerals follows this with some of the most brutally honest lyrics you’ll hear all year with Lucinda talking about how she ‘hates everyone’ over a great grungy riff that adds to the bleak and honest nature of the song before Ladyfuzz comes in with a more 90’s based alt rock sound that is especially evident in the vocal melody. What this track shows though is that the vocals really come into their own when the more aggressive natured ones come blasting out the speakers as it gives the listener a taste of the passion the Lawson clearly has in her songwriting.
EP closer Black Coffee tackles addiction and has a much more fast paced intro than previous tracks and seriously highlights the ability of Conor Dawson on the drums as his strange beat in the verse creates a very interesting prospect of a song. The chorus of this track also sounds huge and really raw, something that the band have managed to create throughout most of the EP giving them a unique edge to their songwriting. This ends the EP on a big high as it shows off the talents of both members of the band and the songwriting in general is incredible.
Overall, this EP shows a band that are in their infancy but have a lot of potential to grow. The songwriting on this effort is very very good and the talent of the duo is extremely evident throughout. They also have the courage to tackle all of these issues with their music and when they fully develop and form into the band the really want to be, they will probably be unstoppable.
8/10 – Really good, A lot more to come
Highlight – Black Coffee