Kerosene Kids is a one-man band out of Louisville, Kentucky. That one man is Matt Reynolds, who balances his life between being a dad and realizing a dream of his – that dream of course is making music. His recording set up is nothing too fancy (although I’d like to point out that from his bio, he owns a couple of sweet Gibson Les Pauls). It doesn’t matter to Reynolds. Just knowing that he has fans out there who have bought his music is what counts. Influenced by ‘90s bands like Radiohead, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr. and arguably one of the most important bands of the 20th century, The Smiths, Reynolds debut self-titled release Kerosene Kids embarks on darker themes – topics like drug use, sex and aliens. Hmm, this debut could be very interesting.
The opener “New Toy” begins with a moody and brooding guitar with some great sounding effects. The drums Reynolds selected were great as well. The melody and style in this tune evoke a lot of dark influences – anything from ‘80s goth, to shoe-gaze and alternative grunge. “Humid” features crunchier guitar, more upfront and brash, while Reynolds’ voice takes more of a backseat. I liked the chord changes on this one. The lyrics and overall sound of the song (I think there’s only two chords played) have a “druggy” vibe and some of the lyrics suggest that that’s what this song is about. “Dark Days” has a really cool beginning, with its ticking/marching drum beat and jagged, biting guitar riffs. This one really grew on me; it has an anthem-like quality that was fun to listen to. I also liked Reynolds’ sparser lyrics and shorter song length. The chorus part suggests that the “dark days” were more fun and the “bright days” were just a lie and well, not as fun. “Hide and Seek” has a cleaner sounding guitar for starters, but then Reynolds breaks into a well-distorted riff during the chorus parts – ear splitting stuff for sure. Towards the end, he adds this sweet effect that’s hard to describe beyond listening to it for yourself. Reynolds asks, “what dimension are you from?” in this guitar and vocal only tune. On “Candy Girl” the style feels very old school, like Bowie meets up with Iggy Pop, meets up with…? I could hear bits of post-punk, new wave and modern something or other. The guitar chords and melody are pretty slick, too – nice and catchy. A good way to end the EP and perhaps there’s more coming in the “kids” future.
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