THE KIND HILLS
Clusterluck
01. Summer
02. Waiting for the Good Times
03. Get Away
04. Let Youth Take Over
05. Volunteer
06. Yoshimi
07. Up and Down Activity
08. Never Too Late To Procrastinate
09. Under Siege 2
10. Heaven
Clusterluck, the new release from The Kind Hills snuck up and took us by surprise. I had no idea I was missing this brand of laid-back, sleepy indie pop, and honestly, I cannot stop listening. Equal parts Belle and Sebastian and The Shins, Clusterluck feels incredibly dialed in and yet somehow still comes across as effortless. The songs have an airiness to them, thanks mainly to the breathy vocals and spacious arrangements, but instead of drifting away, these 10 tracks gently enter the ear and dig their way deep inside your brain until you’re thinking about these catchy melodies long after the album has ended. And much like the gentle indie pop of Air, The Kind Hills would feel right at home in a Sofia Coppola soundtrack. Pastel packaging with surprising depth.
“Let Youth Take Over” is a perfect little 3:05 gem, a masterpiece painted with the James Mercer set of colors. Catchy choruses and haunting harmonies, this is certainly a highlight of the incredibly strong album.
“Yoshimi” really does sound like it could have accidentally been left off a Flaming Lips album, and is the type of song perfect for high school proms, with the mirror ball spinning and the awkward kids dancing while just as much fun is being had under the bleachers by the outcasts and misfits.
“Up and Down Activity,” one of the more driving songs on the album, channels the same energy you’d find on a Sufjan Stevens release. The lyrics are brave confessions from the singer with vivid images more relatable that we’d probably admit.
“Under Siege 2” is such a clever take on the Steven Seagal action film by the same name. I can’t tell if taking the synopsis and putting it to dreamy indie pop is lazy or one of the most brilliant things I’ve heard in months.
The album ends with “Heaven,” a perfect closer just waiting to be placed in the next indie film festival darling. Incredibly dark lyrics with such a saccharine sweet melody, listeners won’t even know they’re taking any medicine until they start feeling better.
This really is an incredible collection of songs from a band we know so little about. The press release mentions they’re an international band of slackers who play laid-back, sleepy, indie pop. Please don’t sleep on this release as Clusterluck is definitely going to make it on our Best of 2023 list.
Highly recommended!
https://ffm.to/kindhills
https://www.thekindhills.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thekindhills/
