Kidsmoke - A Vision in the Dark

  by Kimberly Bright

published: 13 / 7 / 2020

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Review

'A Vision in the Dark' is the long-awaited debut album from Wrexham, Wales’s four-piece melodic shoegaze pop band Kidsmoke. They have released a few independent singles, including 2017’s 'Seabirds', 2018’s 'Sister Sadness', last year’s 'She Takes You Under', 'Rising Sun', and 'Take Me to the River' (featured on Netflix’s'Black Mirror'). In addition to local gigs and regional appearances in Liverpool and Manchester, they were hand-picked to play Robert Smith’s Meltdown Festival by the man himself, and were well received at 2019’s SXSW in Austin, Texas. On the strength of Kidsmoke’s remarkable showcase in Austin they signed to Libertino Records earlier this year. To tide everyone over until now, they created an interesting lockdown playlist for 'God is in the TV' zine. The jangly, 'Low' and 'Heroes'era Bowie-influenced single 'The Bluest You' non-judgmentally describes the dark cloud of a person’s depression affecting the others in the same household. The band’s other self-described influences include Wilco (which explains the band’s name), the Beatles, the Smiths, and Kate Bush, all of which can be heard throughout 'A Vision in the Dark'. 'Higher' is reminiscent of the ’80s Paisley Underground sound. Lance, James, and Sophie’s soothing, almost carefree vocals will win many listeners over, and their carefully crafted songs, not far from Euros Childs’ impeccable style, will ensure that newcomers stick around. Sophie Ballamy’s layered, dreamy guitar lines make the songs flow seamlessly, allowing 'The Bluest You' and ‘80s-tinged 'She Takes You Under' to deftly deal with difficult emotionally charged subjects: mental health issues, relationship problems, despair and the general absurdity of being human.

Track Listing:-

1 Passenger
2 Layla's Love
3 Colourfield
4 Higher
5 She Takes You Under
6 Kaleidoscope
7 Rising Sun
8 Take Me To The River
9 Still Dreams
10 Little Easy
11 The Bluest You