One thing I pride myself on is covering the endless musical talent that Portsmouth has to offer, one band that are currently creating sounds that no other band in the city are Kassassin Street, a 5 piece previously introduced to SouthSolarCity when they supported Rolling Stone cover stars The Sheepdogs for ClubNME Portsmouth.
Back then they were on the brink of releasing 5 track EP ‘Finger On The Pulse’ a roller coaster recorded ‘in the middle of nowhere, in a barn’. Since then the band have gone on to storm a mid-afternoon set at The Wedgewood Rooms as part of Southsea Fest, to a widely near capacity audience that included myself. It is continuously clear from their most recent set that the band are ever growing and perfecting a sound that could be purposely morphed in many a direction. I pick up just under a week away from the release of new 3 track EP ‘Moloko Vellocet’ with a track run down and overall review.
It’s clear from the outset that EP opener ‘Play Dead’ intents to not do that, a social commentary run down (systematic/democratic/visual dreams with tattered seams) from lead singer Rowan Barnstable is bounded by pounding bass drum while conduced by the ever present pre-90’s shoe gaze guitar sound that Kassassin Street are forever converting to something more modern.
As building bridges goes ‘Play Dead’ could link continents, the repetitive vocal of ‘I think that we play dead/and keep our heads under the cover’ that follows is somewhat resembling early Kasabian, aside a hybrid Charlatans/Stone Roses bacchanal until the track abruptly ceases.
‘Centre Straight Atom’ proceeds ‘Play Dead’ into a more raucous cataclasm of sounds, a lyrically more aggressive approach comes with a indie/electro edge, adjacent of the more contemporary bands of the late noughties. With their fingers on the pulse, this track has the ability to have feet tapping and fists pumping among many.
Honorary mention goes to the magnificent drum skills of Kassassin Streets Nathan Hill (below) who continues to give and give to the cause, within the EP he is ever present and clear strong string in Kassassin Streets already strong bow.
If you've ever seen ‘A Clockwork Orange‘, the third and final track on ‘Moloko Vellocet’ is right up your street. ‘Talk In Riddles’ is hypnotising from the off, a psychedelic ode in which where the lead vocals from Rowan are mysterious yet brilliant, while every single member brings their own amount of workmanship to Kassassin Street the sound in which the band makes blends together almost effortlessly and ‘Talk In Riddles’ champions just that.
As the ever growing army behind Kassassin Street marches on ‘Moloko Vellocet’ boasts a maturing band moving forwards, while we can hear the influences the way the band adjust and twist leaves themselves space to grow and continue the journey they are on.
‘Moloko Vellocet’ is officially released on 13th of October at The Fat Fox in Southsea, Portsmouth.
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