Enter Shikari - A Kiss For The Whole World (April 21, 2023) • Page 7

Rats - not released in NZ yet!

 

hmm so I haven't checked in with this band since A Flash Flood of Colour which I didn't like much (and indeed was cold on Common Dreads too), what have I been missing out on?

 

Well since Common Dreads and Flash are their best albums….not much tbh haha

 

You missed them releasing the following:

The Mindsweep: a continuation of AFFOC that’s more “grown-up” with some more international and jaunty influences that will show up and be expanded on in later albums. Probably their darkest album and even has a manifesto on environmentalism that ties into it

The Spark: a controversial release that saw ES focus their songwriting into a pop rock format and dropped a lot of the screaming. Fans are 50/50 on this record, however I think it’s them at their best and has the best hooks in their career. <- This is where you should start, based on what I know of your music tastes @Carrow

Nothing is True…: Enter Shikari decides here to bring back some of their old influences and build on the “circus” stylings that were present on The Mindsweep and An Ode to Jigsaw Pieces, while trying to keep the focus of The Spark. Great album, if a little inconsistent, but has some of their best songs (TINA, *satellites). This is also the first album produced by Rou Reynolds. Album sounds a little off from a production standpoint imo, but nothing too distracting.

A Kiss…: Being released tonight/tomorrow and based on the release materials, seems like it’s another band that’s doing a “full discography” album that has all of their previous albums packaged in one. Also, their focus was to drop some of the grandiose ambitions and write 12 straight bangers, making this seem like their approach is more akin to The Spark than any of their other records.

Between this, the band has consistently released some of the best EPs and singles in between their 2-3 year release cycle, building an incredible catalogue in between releases

overall the band has one of the most consistent discographies. If you’re not a fan of them, that’s a-ok!

 

Check now!

 

a friend who's a massive Shikari fan also suggested the same album, I liked the big hooks/choruses side of them more so thank you for breaking this down for me!

 

Anytime!

 

Album is good, no other real notes yet. Hopefully it grows a bit as I listen throughout the day

 

digging the singles off the new one

 

The Spark is absolutely phenomenal

 

how is that not Jonathan Higgs from Everything Everything singing the second half of the first verse of It Hurts. fucking HOW. I don't know the overlap but like, that's the most dead-on Higgs impression I've ever fucking heard and it's from Chris Batten???

 

Really dig this one after one listen, doesn't immediately blow me away like Nothing is True or Flash Flood of Colour but its just real solid.

Goldfish into Giant Pacific Octopus is a highlight

 

Are you talking about the “Unless you fight the inevitable” part?

 

the 'I couldn't take the high pressure' (?) bit

 

Oh! Pretty sure that’s Rou! Definitely agree with that though! Awesome comparison, that would be such a great collaboration

 

uncanny shit going on there

 

On a podcast last week, Rou and Rob said goldfish and deadwood were demoed during the Nothing Is True sessions, with the former containing the original chorus idea for The King. Particularly curious to hear that one.

 

Just hit play and wow okay the opener sounds very bright and victorious while instantly feeling heavier than the last two releases. Whether that's due to the production, the beefier guitar tone or the return of the double bass, it hits hard! It also vaguely reminds me of Jonny Sniper, which I wasn't expecting at all lol

 

I'm relieved to like this because I initially wasn't as hyped as I was in the lead up of their previous releases. They once again managed to make something that stands as its own thing. It builds on Nothing Is True while sounding punchier overall. It's easily the most energetic and aggressive (to avoid saying "heavy") they've been since The Mindsweep. In terms of vibes, this also oddly feels like an album Redshift would've slotted perfectly in.

Still not sure how I feel about the runtime and the song lengths as everything seems to happen so fast, leaving me wanting more at times. I'll see if I get used to all this after a couple more listens. I can always make a playlist that includes The Void Stares Back and Bull to make up for the album's brevity.

What else came to mind... oh yeah I never thought I'd say this for an Enter Shikari album but I'm hearing a lot of Biffy Clyro in a couple album tracks, especially Dead Wood and Giant Pacific Octopus. The former with its stunning climax is the unreleased song that hit me the most on my first listen, whereas the latter contains a riff I've been looking to hear for a full year following its initial tease on Instagram.

 

Stoked to listen tonight and to see them in two weeks

 

notice they have a UK/IRE section for shows on their site, hell yes I wanna go see them

 

They're so much fun live, glad you're on board now!!

 

A Kiss is incredible! I'm hearing elements of all their prior albums except The Spark (which I think is a good thing).

 

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