Meet Kilns – an explosive new addition to the Melbourne music scene. The indie-rock quartet have spent the last eighteen months coming together as a band. Now, with four singles under their belt, Forté is keen to premiere Kilns’ debut album You Can Bet Your House On Me.
Right from the get-go, Kilns rip into a bright and heavy electric sound on ‘Brain on Fire’, with the snares and cymbals pumping away behind. You get your first taste of front-man Mickey Cooper’s gentle vocals, flowing along, almost spoken. You’re then hit with the band’s first single, ‘Go Slowly’. Bright and lively from the first notes, the riff slides from the guitar to your ear. Catchy and surfy, this one will have you tapping your foot away before you even realise. The reverbing guitar and Cooper’s polished vocals build with the song, crashing together into a haze of indie rock, engineered spectacularly.
You can hear each chord that opens ‘Alka Seltzer’ clearly, effortless vocals flowing over. A shuffling drums beat begins ‘The House We Lived In’, before the count-in introduces a resonating, finger-picked lead that bounces without missing a note. The lead guitar and vocals seem to weave through each other, and by the second verse, the guitar is joined by a double-track, creating a harmonious effect grabbing your attention. You can hear the emotion in the drawn-out lyrics. Before you know it, it’s done. Kiln’s most recent single, ‘Split’, gained attention on triple j Unearthed. Backed with a crunchy and grungey rhythm, this track has an alt-country vibe about it. In the final minute, the cymbals crash together, waves of overlapping lead and backing vocals reaching your ears.
‘So Close’ showcases brilliant harmonies for its chorus, the lead guitar standing out with a hypnotically catchy riff. ‘Pinky Finger’ has it’s own sound, this time an indie, lo-fi feel that’s slower and chill. ‘Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday’ comes with another change of sound, this one much slower and broken down. The perfect pitch of Cooper’s vocals almost whispered over a single acoustic guitar. The harmonising vocal can just be heard by the second verse. The pre-chorus comes in stronger, building to a louder chorus, emotion audible in the lyrics. It’s the type of song to make you feel.
The vocals of ‘How Far Back’ stand out, cutting above a ringing, low guitar. The chorus guitar is so bright, the notes ring and bleed into each other. ‘Risk’ is the final track of the release, low and slow. You can hear a hand climb down the guitar neck, and back up. The band comes together one final time, guitar crying out brightly, drums crashing, Cooper’s smooth vocals dropping seamlessly through keys. And like that the album is over, the band’s laughter heard as the album fades to close.
YCBYHOM is a strong debut release from Kilns. Recorded across three Summers, it wasn’t a quick project. “The ten songs on [the album] were recorded over an eighteen-month period, across three different studios in the inner north of Melbourne” explained Cooper.
“They are songs that contemplate human relationships and anxiety, through a lens of resilience and hopeful optimism. With an indie-rock heart and limbs that reach the edges of alt-country, emo-tinged punk-rock, and classic harmony-driven pop, the album documents our band coming to the realisation that we belong in the spaces between these genres and musical currents.”
Kiln aren’t just a band, they’re four mates with music chemistry you can hear. With another album in the works, if you enjoy this album as much as we did, you’ll be waiting with eager ears.
Check it out below.
Written by Thom Devereux