Review: Kassassin Street – Radio Silence EP

8/10

Review: Kassassin Street - Radio Silence EP

The ebullient Indie musical group Kassassin Street is generating quite a sensation on their recent tour of the UK. The quintet that calls Southsea home first gained notice from the music world in 2014 with their debut single The Royal Handkerchief Ballet. The band’s sound can be best described as indie rock with reversed guitars and unrestrained energy.

Brothers Nathan and Ryan Hill have been playing music since they can remember. They started to solidify their intent to create a band when they met up with future band mates Andy Hurst and Tom Wells in college. The addition of Rowan Bastable as lead singer completed the band’s formation in 2014. They took their name from a road they were walking down when they went to see bands at The Cellars at Eastney in Portsmouth. The unsigned band would release their debut single and gain notice from music arbiters the likes of NME who stated the band was “One to watch”. They would also play a number of festivals including Bestival, The Isle of Wright and their local hometown festival The Victorious Festival, appearing along with legends Manic Street Preachers and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The members of the band realize that time and effort has to be put into reaching their goals for success and have a refreshing attitude towards their musical apprenticeship, “To be honest even in the early days when we were playing to just one man and his dog, if his dog was proper up for it, then you’ve got no excuse not to go crazy.” In 2015 the band released their EP Radio Silence and recently release more singles including the song Hand in Pocket.

Since the release of Radio Silence the band has shown nice progression, polishing the rough edges while not losing the thing that makes the band so attractive; their joyous, clever and guileless energy. They seem to be in the swim with such UK bands as The Dexters, and Drowners while singularly blending the legendary sounds of Yaz, The Smiths, Depeche Mode and The Pet Shop Boys. The EP “Radio Silence” is a first reveal into the elements that make their sound unique. Throughout there is a palpable sense of joy the members get out of making music. The sonics are engaging and invigorating with a blend of psychedelic, grit and a healthy dose of informed Brit POP, The first two songs on the EP engender this amalgam the other half of the EP display more of a nuanced club dance vibe that is also alluring. The four songs on the EP overall display that the members are able to effortlessly genre hop. The latest songs released by Kassassin Street have been just as catchy as the songs on “Radio Silence”. Both the songs Hand in Pocket and To Be Young display limitless energy. There is additional sophistication, especially on the earworm Hand in Pocket which turns more thematically serious, pointing out how the folks in charge continue to put their hands in your pocket till there is nothing left. Kassassin Street’s songcrafting has become tighter and even more attractive as they spend more time working on their tunes.

Kassassin Street is a band that displays an almost obscene amount of promise. Their music is polished but not throwaway and there are definitely untapped depths yet to be explored. They are currently knocking people sideways with their live performances throughout the UK. Their quest for success continues as they build anticipation for a full LP release. Interested parties can catch their latest works on Sound Cloud, Band Camp and ITunes. If you are fortunate to live in the UK the band is touring throughout much of the land make sure to catch them.

Xsnoize Author
Lori Gava 344 Articles
Lori has been with XS Noize from the beginning and contributes album reviews regularly. Fav bands/artists: Radiohead, U2, The Cure, Arcade Fire, The Twilight Sad, Beck, Foals, Sufjan Stevens Fav Albums: In Rainbows, Achtung Baby, Disintegration, Funeral, Sea Change, Holy Fire, Nobody Wants to be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave.

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