Brit punks Kid Kapichi enter bold new chapter with introspective fourth record, Fearless Nature.
For Kid Kapichi, this fourth album marks a bold new chapter. Now a duo, after founding members Ben Beetham and George Macdonald stepped away, but recorded with them, it feels like a satisfying farewell, whilst ushering in this new beginning for the now two-piece.
Despite Kapichi’s reputation for political spit and fury, Fearless Nature swerves expectation. The rage is still there, but it’s been redirected inward. This is an introspective record, preoccupied with frontman Jack Wilson’s mental wellbeing during a time of deep depression and questioning what the meaning of his existence is. The band call it their “softest but heaviest” work yet, both atmospherically restrained and lyrically crushing.
Mercurial opener Leader Of The Free World sets the tone brilliantly. Yes, lines like ‘It turns out the first one was better than the sequel!’ skewer the return of Donald Trump, but the real power lies in its fractured perspective, unfolding like the scribbled monologue of someone losing grip. It can be interpreted as being political, whilst also holding deep personal resonance.
Intervention hits harder, both sonically and emotionally. It captures the suffocating pressure of life at punk’s sharp edge, its hammering chorus undercut by lyrics that feel painfully self-aware. Stainless Steel sees Jack lay bare his fragile state, ‘I‘m not made of stainless steel / I’m made of blood, I’m made of bone!’ A statement backed by this smouldering, atmospheric number opening the band up in ways we haven’t seen before.
Mid-album standout Dark Days Are Coming takes us back to that political discourse we’ve come to know all too well with this band. It’s deceptively melodic and heavy with the sense that everything is teetering on the edge. Whilst Rabbit Hole feels nostalgic, reminding us to enjoy the time we have as none of us are making it out of here alive.
Fearless Nature is not built for easy festival sing-alongs, and that’s the point. Kid Kapichi have thrown caution to the wind, traded righteous fury for uneasy honesty, and emerged sounding fearless in a whole new way.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Fontaines DC, SOFT PLAY, Bob Vylan
Fearless Nature is out now via Spinefarm.
