Slouch

Kicksie

In the mood for something completely new, I was scrolling through some recent releases until this album cover caught my eye (see, a good album cover is really important). On a whim, I gave it a taste test and I didn't hate it, therefore, here we are. Low and behold, Kicksie are a indie rock and power pop band from my neck of the woods, Toronto, Ontario (which makes more sense why the algorithm put this in front of my face). Their brand is pretty cute and quaint; songs about love, turbulent relationships, wishing you possessed qualities that were more in tune to your partner's ideal, as well as about how main-brain Giuliana Mormile will steal your girl if your man isn't careful. It has some pretty sweet moments like the opener Closure, which has a dreamy start before unexpectedly busting into a Weezer-esque waltz. Mormile's vocals become a little more expressive, borrowing mannerisms from Hayley Williams' early career. Sinking In reaches some pretty exasperated heights, complete with frustrated screams and dramatic tempo changes. Lastly, I'll mention Go-Getter for going in a pretty interesting direction. This song has some neat, intricate rhythms, a little bit of hip-hop influence in the vocal delivery, and some cool melodic touches like the guitar harmonics that hang in the background.

While the record is pleasant while it's on, I do wish there was something a little more standout sonically. I understand indie rock is a genre that is a little more singer/songwriter focused which admittedly is not typically where I get my musical kicks from. However, it is certainly well executed. The only thing I could possibly critique is the vocals can feel a little flat over the course of the project. There are outlier moments like the screams I mentioned earlier and some occasional energetic shouts, but I will say the singing in general does run low on personality. Quickly glancing at Mormile's posts surrounding the album's release, I see musings like "I still don't know if I hate these songs or not," and it's that uncertainty or lack of confidence that I think negatively impacts the music. Well, I think Mormile's songs are good, and perhaps if they themselves believe it, they'll be able to give these songs the presentation and fire they deserve on both instrumental and vocal fronts.