Kids In Glass Houses - Dirt
Another Welsh success story, Kids In Glass Houses’ swift, respectable rise has led to a surprise signing to metal-centric record label, Roadrunner. And while KIGH might be more to do with handclaps and setting teenage girls’ hearts aflutter than kick drums and downtuned riffage, they’re a band with a skill for ridiculously catchy songs. But after the impact of debut 'Smart Casual', this second album needs to be a statement of intent, one with which to propel their rise further and to cement their place alongside the likes of You Me At Six. 'Dirt' is not that album.
Opener ‘Artbreaker I’ is a good start; all energy and bounce, foot-tapping isn’t just compulsory, it’s unavoidable. Similarly youthful numbers ‘Matters At All’, ‘Undercover Lover’ (a song that features Frankie from The Saturdays of all people), and the fantastic ‘For Better Or Hearse’ provide infectious hooks and massive choruses with such ease it’s as if penning memorable songs was the easiest thing in the world to them. However, good as some of these songs are, there’s nothing here that they didn’t do just as well on 'Smart Casual'. Additionally, there are dull fillers like the mid-paced ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Giving Up’. Worse still, drippy power-ballad ‘The Morning Afterlife’ is the syrupy and toe-curling soundtrack to a montage from The OC, where we can all get moist-eyed at how hard life is being young, rich and gorgeous – only the montage goes on two minutes longer than it needs to.
The spirit of Lostprophets looms large across this album, in everything from the pop-sass to the guitar tone. But whereas their debut bristled with the same exuberance and hunger that made the aforementioned You Me At Six become headliners, this album at times feels like a band going through the motions. This album is more of the same, and while that will do nothing to stop those already in love with this talented band from continuing to adore them, everyone else will realise quickly they’ve heard this all before.
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