Armed to the teeth with the scrappy roughness of a restless youth, pummelling guitars and a healthy dose of heart, Kynch rip a blisteringly righteous call-to-arms through the unsuspecting scene of Nottingham. Matt Andrews delves into the potent sonic excitement surrounding the band, and unpicks their ambitious plans for the future.
Gritty and gold, aggressive and relatable, Kynch make that exhilarating kind of music that sounds best trapped in an undersized venue packed with two-hundred other people and, like the and music, you can’t help but scream and sweat about the place – it’s remarkably energetic.
On vocals is perhaps the most cockney-sounding nihilist in Nottingham, Jack Cobb, a man who has not failed to deliver a performance shining in equal parts wit and grit. Cobb is also responsible for the angular guitar melodies that hold up his screw-faced lyricism, whilst Will Hennessey contributes his own slice of magic on bass, with Will Tansley (drums), operating as the dictator of the music’s energy and emotional vigour. Together, the three school mates create a memorably infuriating sound – this is the kind of music that makes its way into your blood, and then boils it.
Since arriving with the ruthlessly forceful 2019 single It’s a Shame, the heavyweight three-piece’s music has centred around this IDLES-esque hostility: a certain urgency that’s squeezed out somewhere between the screeching guitar and the banging drums. And it’s with this urgency that Cobb absorbs and channels in his unabashed expressions of rage and temper – “throw a plastic bag around my head, I strain my eyes, left me for dead.”
From the band’s latest and greatest, Ill View is telling of the chaotic and wretched lyricism that often finds itself fighting for prominence over guitar, drums and bass – a violently competitive jungle of sounds, which further deepens the sense of urgency in Kynch’s music: when it comes to sound, it’s survival of the fittest, so you’d better scream for your life.
“We’ve been finding our own sounds individually and they mix really well together. We’ve got a few tracks down over lockdown – it’s been really productive for us.”
Something that can’t be faulted in the band is their persistence in pushing their sound forward and letting it evolve; for this is sonic natural selection, after all. With each release comes a change in accent, a small affectation that is undeniably resonant. With Ill View, the new twang manifests in the track’s rising and crashing intensity; swelling from a naked guitar line to a bombardment of sound without hesitation. With a continually indecisive mood, which is thoroughly human, it’s difficult not to imagine the track as the perfect ignition for multiple mosh pits.
The bass-heavy ballad was taken down to Abbey Road to be mixed and mastered – a trip which, in retrospect, has been held accountable for the track’s quality. A three-minute cigarette, Ill View burns with smoke and anger, and feels equally grungy to take in. “It’s a lot better than our usual stuff. It’s more grown up. More towards finding any concrete sound. Everyone had their own significant input, but it came together really well.” Resting on the lyric, “It was broken before I got here,” Cobb is responsible for the track’s introspective nature, something which is instantly recognisable in some abstract and emotional way. This is Kynch at their best – violently emotional.
Having previously played at notable local gigs including Beat the Streets and as a first-on for Kid Kapichi at The Bodega, Kynch admit that the prosperity of the local scene is something they draw a lot of success from: “It’s an amazing city to get started in, all the local artists are so involved with and supportive of one another, it’s almost difficult not to get your name out there.” The lockdown-imposed absence of gigs is, with this in mind, understandably irritating, though it is an opportunity to continue refining their sound and the artistic relationships within the band, something which has become increasingly harmonious, “we’ve been finding our own sounds individually and they mix really well together. We’ve got a few tracks down over lock down – it’s been really productive for us.”
Whilst working on a back-catalogue of novel music, the band are hoping to release a new single each month, and conclude lockdown with a colourful, cumulative EP. More long-term goals of a three-way U.S. presidential term and being named the official best band in the world also float through the boys’ minds, but it’s music in their hearts - “As long as we can support ourselves with our music, that’s all we really care about.”
The fervent trio are continuing to put out some of Nottingham’s most exciting music, and are generally expected to arrive back more violent, more powerful, more Kynch. Be ready.
Written by: Matt Andrews
Edited by: Louise Dugan
コメント