Germany’s Kid Dad have seen a huge overhaul in their sound in the void of time between their debut release, last year’s ‘In A Box’, and their soon-to-be-unveiled new effort, titled ‘Bloom’. Gone is their penchant for crackling guitars and post-hardcore-influenced thrashy melodies, and in their place sit a quiet collection of tracks that feel more art school than anarchic.
A warm, poppy guitar comes bursting into life at the opening of ‘Apartment’, introing a melody which is light and airy dream pop, full of sherbet-sweet zest. A little of vocalist Marius’ accent is detectable in his vocals which make them beautifully idiosyncratic, picking up particularly as the chorus washes over you with ease. Don’t be fooled by the blithe melody, however, as if you attune your ears to the lyrics themselves – in particular the chorus line ‘this is the worst I’ve felt’ – you will immediately be hit with the sense that there is something darker lurking behind the façade of the fancy-free instrumentation.
Breaking things up slightly is the poetic meter of ‘As Soon As America’. Ticking drum lines keep the verses trickling onwards with a slam-poetry style air, and electronically synthesised notes inject some intrigue into the bridge, though they are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in keeping this track elevated above the dreaded chasm of ‘dirge’. Thankfully the fullness of the sound saves it from being condemned to that unenviable fate – though by the time we reach ‘Wire & Guns’, the opening lines may well make you fear the worst. Yet again, the vocals are so closely controlled that there is almost no room to breathe in amongst their suffocating, gliding onslaught, which feels like the musical equivalent of a thick mudslide.
However, those of us willing him to let go just a little from his tightly coiled vocal cocoon are rewarded in the end. It may take us two goes round of the sliding verses before we get there, but when the chorus at last materialises, it is so worth the wait! Crashing in with a tone far rockier than anything we have heard thus far, this small ounce of bite in Kid Dad’s sound is hugely welcomed – as it turns out, they do have some fire in their bellies after all!
Continuing this new, darker side to their musical arsenal is the far broodier tone on latest single ‘Boat’. While the vocals return to their light, airy wheelhouse, the contrast between them and the darker melody is balanced very well, culminating in a grandiose chorus that feels ready to sweep you off your feet. The tempo may stay relatively pedestrian, but there is something bigger blooming in the background here to give the chorus enough of a dynamic shift that they succeed in holding the listener’s interest. Sadly, closer ‘Hello?’ is not an aptly timed Adele tribute – though it does boast some of her characteristic flair for the morose. Kid Dad seem set on fading further into the darkness as the record progresses, but here it is a crafted kind of bleakness, almost akin to slowly sinking through dark water, with that same sense of eerie peace settling around you. Yet again, however, the band just elevate the track slightly with the bubbles of synth that pop throughout the sombre melody adding bright sparks of intrigue to the perfect closer for a very dense little record, which is full of interesting little sparks of creativity.
‘Bloom’ is due for release on the 10th of December via Long Branch Records – you can pre-order the record here.
