- Leaning into alt-country and classic Australian rock sonics, skirting the edges of traditional pop and making clear nods toward an emo upbringing mean Melbourne band KILNS defy an easy pigeonhole. Their debut record You Can Bet Your House On Me exists in the space in between. Apt then, that their lyrics address the anxieties, relationships and growing pains symptomatic of life’s grey areas.
Go Slowly simmers with nostalgia of a suburban childhood listening to Crowded House and The Go-Betweens. While only the second track in, it is the record’s lyrical centrepiece, conjuring coastal imagery with dark thematic undercurrents. Mickey Cooper’s storytelling is decorated by sundrenched instrumentation which bleeds into a creamy, guitar-driven crescendo.
On Alka Seltzer angsty guitars and pulsing percussion threaten to bubble over, while Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday is a gorgeous slow burner about the battle of hanging onto someone despite their demons. Recent single Spilt lends its lyrics to the album’s title and spotlights their alt-country / slacker proclivities.
You Can Bet Your House On Me is a strong debut from the quartet, sitting somewhere between the instrumentation of Wilco and the vocal dexterity of Matthew Wright of The Getaway Plan. While the anxieties of everyday life are integral to the framework of the album, it is littered with a generous helping of optimism, Lyrics like “part of letting things grow is letting them burn” is an especially prudent reminder of our own resilience. Hope springs eternal from KILNS, thankfully. Lord knows we need it now.
- Fiona Priddey.