An openly artistic Irreversible Kick let raw passion and energy take precedence, throughout the fearlessly performative, genre-fusing intensity and versatility of their seven-track album Calon cysgul.
We begin with the piercing punk rock vocal presence of Where you wanna go, an indie rock anthem intertwined with a briefly jazz-like meeting of hi-hats, kick drums and rising riffs. It’s an all-together now rock and roll track on the one hand, a freestyle jam between friends on the other – unconfined and unconcerned with industry expectation. The style is playful, and despite the eclecticism of this project, that quality continues to shine.
Consider the switch to an entirely more mellow and moody Moonchild, an intimate new-jazz array of sounds and instruments, and a quietly thoughtful, whispered and evocative voice. The band sing a poem into the space, with unpredictable rhythmic hits that almost present an image of the contrast between the acoustic songwriter and the construction site next-door. Meanwhile, the lyrics and the voice, the melody, all presents a soothing alternative sound – another side to Irreversible Kick already, and we’re barely into the meat of the album.
The softness and provocative wonder continues through the performative and soulful tones of On your own, perhaps Asaf Avidan-inspired in its expressive honesty and creative freedom. The recording style is as raw as ever, the vintage crack of vinyl and old-school studio captures reinforcing the humanity and heart of the project. Starstruck takes this further still, feeling like a fitting sequel as we progress.
Path is a definite highlight from this album, the voices reach peak falsetto and tremolo intensity, the backdrop follows suit, and the lyrics resound and echo through the space – ‘I hope you’re happy’ repeats and powers the evolution of the delivery, before an electric guitar solo confidently takes the wheel.
Then we get a touch of something like organic indie trip hop, in the form of the atmospheric and melodic appeal of Hypnogogicbeing. Without doubt, Irreversible Kick are carving out a niche of their own, performatively uninhibited, and equally unconfined by concept and style.
A rather non-confronting Track 7 wraps up the journey, a bass and electric guitar dance that simply jams its way through the airwaves, leaving plenty of space for the playfulness of music to remind us once again of the passion and love for the process brought to the stage, by a perhaps aptly named Irreversible Kick.
Find Irreversible Kick on Instagram & YouTube.
