Kill It Kid

Bath-based quintet Kill It Kid is many things, but first of all, they’re loud. Perhaps since critical response to their eponymous first album pigeon-holed the band in with folk and acoustic neo-rock, the second album does well to break free from these labels.

It’s difficult to listen to this record without images of the Black Keys and Beth Ditto in the days before Skins springing to mind. However, unlike other bands that have drawn on similar influences, Kill It Kid has an incredibly distinctive and refreshing sound. Powerful opener You’re In My Blood and assault-on-the-ears Pray on Me are offset by lighter ballad Home and the slower-paced Wild and Wasted Waters, but what sets this band apart are the haunting lead vocals. Chris Turpin and Stephanie Ward could be singing anything and you’d still press repeat.

Recorded in 10 short days with 1950s American catalogue guitars, broken 10 watt amplifiers, and a brave use of Alan Lomax field recordings, Kill It Kid’s latest offering is a loud, enticing and atmospheric listen.  www.killitkid.com

Bethany Rex