Kutosis
Dream It Away
June 30 2014 (Jealous Lovers Club)
8.5/10
Words: Dave Beech
In 2012, Cardiff three-piece Kutosis came roaring out of the ether with a multi-faceted debut that cherry-picked elements from a host of genres, fusing them together to create something bold, abrasive and ultimately excellent in the form of 'Fanatical Love'. Two years down the line and the band haven't strictly lost their angular edge, but rounded it, an aspect of their follow up 'Dream It Away' brought to the fore by producer Rory Atwell (Veronica Falls, Yuck). Kutosis' propensity for genre-bending is still very much the driving force behind this record, however, flirting with post-punk, dream-pop, shoegaze and garage-rock all with wilful abandon.
Whilst the first two tracks, 'This Avalanche Is' and 'Crystal Beach' do set the precedent for what's to follow fairly accurately, their gleaming production and laid-back vibes far belie the jaggedness of later tracks - like 'French Canadian Girls' - and as such may well disappoint those expecting the weight of their debut. That said, as far as singles go, 'Crystal Beach' is a perfect track to lead with; a heady, summery track that floats lazily on a cloud of reverb and only once teases listeners with the post-punk made evident in later tracks.
Fourth track 'Horizons', however, doesn't just tease us with post-punk, it embraces it: driving bass and fuzzed out guitar providing the backdrop for the warped vocals. It's not easy listening, but it shouldn't be. Kutosis have matured, left behind the breakneck garage-punk of their debut, and contorted it into something far more encompassing and at times, ominous. That isn't to say the earlier dream-pop is all but left behind, tracks like 'Night Surf' or 'Short Stories' providing a sufficient amount of breathing room - the latter of which bringing to mind the likes of The Cribs, in what is possibly Kutosis' most accessible and straightforward track to date.
It seems that with 'Dream It Away' the band have found a perfect balance in their songcraft, and in the two years between records have taught themselves to wholly embrace the varying aspects that make them the band they are. Their debut may have felt reckless and breakneck, but their second feels far more thought-out, even experimental. And never a band to linger too long on one particular aesthetic, their heavier post-punk tracks are intersected by hazy dream-pop and art-punk. Surprisingly enough this doesn't give the record a fractured feeling, it feels perfectly put together; the production differing from one track to the next whilst managing to feel as cohesive as it does is also a welcome touch.
It will be interesting to see where Kutosis want to take their sound next. A band with big ambitions and a sound to match, it's hard to imagine them becoming more diverse than they already are. That said, they're also a band who could quite easily go on to make a name for themselves, and with 'Dream It Away', it's easy to see why.
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