After rolling with Roadrunner
Records for their previous three albums, Cardiff based Kids in Glass Houses have opted to make ‘Peace’ fan-funded thanks to PledgeMusic
and Transmission Recordings. In March
this year, Kids in Glass Houses
recorded fourth album ‘Peace’ in
Lincoln in just four weeks and released their first single from the record ‘Drive’, on 21 July 2013.
The quintet have not enjoyed the most straightforward career
in the Pop Punk world, although their first album ‘Smart Casual’ (2008) brought them to the forefront of the scene
with the likes of You Me at Six. Kids in Glass Houses are enjoying a
more independent outlook for ‘Peace’, with
regards to their general image, sound and style as a band- which is definitely
a good thing given the way Roadrunner
‘adapted’ their dress sense after ‘In
Gold Blood’ (2011) hit shelves. The band also chose to stream their album
to encourage fans they may have lost along the way to give them another shot,
and to, of course entice new listeners.
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| 'Peace': The artwork |
Some may dismiss Kids
in Glass Houses as a soft Rock option, but right from the off, the boys
provide a super catchy number made up of all the hand claps, gang vocals and key
changes you could ever want. Aled
Phillips’ vocals are right on point and full of diversity and soul. ‘Drive’ however, is an odd choice for a
single, as it is my no means the best ‘Peace’ has to offer, but is a great Pop
song with a hugely hooking guitar-driven melody.
‘Set
Me Free’ and ‘V.I.P.’
are melodic, energetic and ever so slightly Rock and Roll- everything the band
want to be. The quality of production is fantastic thanks to Producer Dan Weller (Gallows and Young Guns) and each track is
fist-pumplingly rhythmic and oozing with optimism and this is definitely Kids in Glass Houses’ most mature album
so far.
Easy-on-the-ear and breezy, ‘Novocaine’ is packed full of emotion, and ‘Stormchasers’ is made up of big Pop breakdowns, more vocal
expertise and rhythmic change-ups. The trouble is, Kids in Glass Houses do not have the lead of the soft Pop Punk/rhythm-fuelled
Rock industry with new bands like The
1975 around. ‘Runaways’ is hardly
worth getting excited about, as it fails to explode into action at all and
proves that ‘Peace’ fails to break
any musical boundaries.
The more downbeat ‘Up
All Night’ however, is packed with energy and a great party track, and its
electro beats and feel-good style is a sure fire for success. ‘Black Cloud’ is raging with Pop sensibilities
and is great in its simplicity- which is a great thing to hear after the
over-elaborate sound and look of ‘In Gold
Blood. For a closing song, ‘Nightcrawler’
is weak and very lacklustre, but it does bring a concise collection of
sugar-sweet songs to an end.
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| Back to basics: Kids in Glass Houses |
‘Peace’ won’t
be receiving any awards for album of the year, but that doesn’t take away from
the fact that Kids in Glass Houses
have gone back to basics and returned to their feel-good, straightforward
roots. They’re definitely back on course for a bright future.
3.5/5
Listen to ‘Peace’
in full here thanks to RockSound: http://www.rocksound.tv/news/article/kids-in-glass-houses-stream-peace-in-full
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