Image: Joel Hewitt
Nottingham’s Kid Spirit are back with new EP The Electric Glow of the Sun. From opener ‘Live in This’, it’s clear how far the band have come since their last release, and it sets out the aspirations they clearly have. A Stone Roses-style bassline makes room for uplifting synths, layered vocals and strong guitars that hint at where these tracks will take you.
“I suspect these songs are already bigger than the rooms they’re currently being played in.”
— Marq Sutton, NottsRocks
Next up is the track that name-checks the inspiration for the record. ‘Lost in Translation’ starts compact and intimate before bursting into life on the chorus as Luke sings, “I had to climb to the other side of the world, to feel alive like I did when I was younger.” The guitars continue to swell, and we are anything but lost.
‘22:00 HRS’ builds on themes the band have touched on before: “Woke up, can’t sleep, I hear the noises through the wall, broken, what’s happening to me.” We all get monsters in our heads at times, and here the guitar does an excellent job of replicating that noise. The piano break offers a moment of calm for the mind before it all returns to a heady mix.
Closing track ‘Limbo’ will no doubt draw comparisons with The Cure (no bad thing), as haunting synths mix with atmospheric guitars. After a crackling voice message, it rises up one last time and is gone, leaving the listener wanting more.
Every song here is big: the sound is full and the arrangements are made to get hands in the air. I suspect these songs are already bigger than the rooms they’re currently being played in. If this is anything to go by, expect Kid Spirit to be holding court in arenas and at festivals before too long.