Promising a great start to a creative week, one of the most original musical styles to hit the airwaves this season – Kieran Kriss blends unique and provocative storytelling with quirky rhythms and performative guitar-lines, throughout the brilliantly interesting EP Transylburbia.
Beginning with a youthful stomp of a groove and nearly spoken indie vocals, the live musicianship is instantly impressive, and the lyrics are quirky and carefree in their relaying of a unique, aptly Halloween-themed romantic venture.
Hellraiser is surprisingly uplifting, colourful and ultimately passionate as it gathers momentum, and this opening highlight leads beautifully into what feels like chapter two, as Thirsty (Nosferatu) lays down a mellow groove and a more soulful, evocative and smooth vocal take from the now recognisable Kieran Kriss.
We’ve moved from art-noir alternative to something a little more Chappell Roan-esque in terms of modern songwriting and stylistics, but there’s also an undertone of something indie rock and playful at every turn – a dash of the nineties interwoven with an approach that’s clearly focused on story and mood in a genuine way.
Kieran Kriss effectively balances the unorthodox with the satisfying, self-defining this musicality as Gothic Yacht-Rock – in hindsight a perfect encapsulation – and this makes for a gem of a good vibes EP to stream at volume. There’s also a fascinating blend of romance and darkness to the lyrics, which takes a little digging to uncover, but is equally worth the while.
Another lovable rhythm and some gentle keys and whispered vocals let Belladonna recapture a mellow vibe at the mid-section – we’re swaying to the groove as harmonised layers add something beautiful and emotional and catchy to the EP.
This mainstream dose of something like nostalgic pop-rock has an intimate indie charm that again provides a fresh change of pace half-way through the project. And as ever, the lyrics let you get a little more clarity with each revisit – not obvious but not excessively complex, just caring and creative and poetic.
After that, we turn towards the Rocky Horror Show vibes of retro bass and spoken scenery. The Neighbors (Must Be Doing Something Right) is like a soul-funk whisper of intrigue, rising slowly towards a bright and psychedelic crescendo that’s brilliantly memorable. This is peak structural songwriting from Kieran Kriss, a theatrical but focused take that holds your attention throughout, and blends genres and eras in a subtle but striking way.
To finish, Fiending gets a blues-rock aura taking precedence, and Kieran Kriss lets his voice meander through scenes almost like the band Eels in a way, progressing towards a huge rock chorus, which makes for a worthy closing earworm for the entire Transylburbia EP.
If you’ve tired of the mundane, the predictable, the automatically generated – there are so many great reasons to let Transylburbia fill the space around you. Kieran Kriss permits music and artistic freedom to guide, and the results blend talent and a rich tapestry of creative toys every step of the way.
Find Kieran Kriss on Instagram.
