A good starting point in learning about the band is opening track ‘When No One’s Around’ which houses the most plaintive of piano lines, nothing compared to a sad boy and girl though who join forces to issues a swirl of melancholic movements that are made for lightly rainy days when it appears the world has stopped in tandem at this broken down juncture.
The poetic forlorn qualities are temporary and things pick up considerably on track two ‘The Stranger’ which is positively giddy by contrast. So while it stops short of groove this is badsoma picking up the pace and internal resolve in a work that is wordy but instrumentally lush. The best part is a chorus that may stop short of full-on swoon but which is still an occasion to break out a genuine smile. We really get to hear the band flex their tender musical muscles and such is tapestry in the arrangement there will be plenty coming back for seconds on ‘The Stranger’.
Middle song ‘Burn Out’ really does have a most dreamy disposition, keeps things simple with vocals so full of youthful yearning. I wouldn’t be surprised if it finds a second life in December, towards Christmas Eve time for there is an aura of freshly fallen snow and all the innocence and feelings of being a kid that brings. Of course there are weighty matters in the narrative but it is all wrapped up in such cotton soft arrangements ‘Burn Out’ doesn’t dampen our feelings of quiet satisfaction.
‘Talk About Me’ is probably the track that brings the greatest lightness of being out on ‘Kicking and Screaming’ and the twin vocals tell us that badsoma may have been reading from the book of Belle & Sebastian (and the lesser known but no less impressive Delgados) for there is charming folk reading going down. Lots of room for an expansive instrumental break too but it is the girl/boy call and responses where things really glow. Most will come away much rosier of cheek because of what ‘Talk About Me’ brings to the table.
Closing this EP is ‘All I Wanted To See’ which strips matters back to keys and melted words and the sluggish grandeur of slow burning percussion. Yep, it might be the one to accompany our last drink of the night and with it room to think upon the spot about what we’ve achieved and what needs to be addressed. This is a denouement that simmers with a comfortable stride and that broken hearted singer won’t distract us from the dreams we’re soon going to having.
As a collection of tunes the ‘Kicking and Screaming’ EP covers an impressive amount of ground given that for the most part badsoma move things at a glacial pace. That being said each of the five tracks have their own distinct personality, the skill of the band such that the collection fits into a comfortable whole and that gives the record a natural flow. KH
More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: badsoma
Year: 2024
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