Yeah - this one is a motherfucker. KEN Mode have always been a weird band and always brought a bunch of interesting and bizarre musical elements ot the table. It comes as no surprise that their latest record, Loved the bands first album after a bit of a hiatus in which the brothers Matthewson started their own management services company. Now the group is back and better than ever with a fierce anger and the punk rock aesthetics to match it, this is an album that reminds us exactly what this music should be about.
Frontman Jesse Matthewson said of this record, "We wanted to make the perfect album to put on repeat while pushing your physical limits to their maximum, if only to silence the noise that is constantly whirring around inside of your own head, even for a brief moment" That's really all I can say. This is music that is intense and in your face. It is almost painful to listen too and the terrifying and chaotic sounds that define it are incredibly finely calibrated. They represent a tortured vision and one that is going to work its way into your brain as you try to digest what is among the best heavy records of the year.
Listening to this record is a sort of triumphant punishment. There is searing atonality, punishing bottom end and the same sort of drive that made all the best Black Flag records such monsters. KEN Mode have always delivered an intensity that is a cut above their peers. Songs like Learning To Be Too Cold reflect a sort of bitterness and rag that is not only borderline unmatched in this scene but which reflects the same struggle that I think many of us can't help but be fascinated with. All I can say is that this record freaks the hell out of my cat and that's good enough for me.
Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/kenmode/
Pre-order the record!
https://kenmode.bigcartel.com/product/loved-pre-order
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