THE KVB - Unity

The English duo made up of Kat Day and Nicholas Wood (also a couple in real life) have been active under the alias KVB since 2010. The stylistic catalogue of the partnership was and remains inspired by electronic music, kraut-rock and synth-pop templates, all duly flavoured with shoegaze fragrances. It's a formula that continues in much the same way on the new album "Unity", with a few interesting variations added. Produced by Andy Savors (My Bloody Valentine, Black Country New Road, Horrors) and initially conceived between Spain and Berlin, before the final touches were added back in the UK, "Unity" is a complex work, heavily shaped by the vital lack of free movement imposed by the recent general context, but also by in-depth studies of architecture, an unconventional theme when it comes to musical works. Studies specifically aimed at examining the crumbling state of many luxury villas in Spain, left unfinished after the financial collapse of the past decade: urban decay meeting the failure of capitalism, a disturbing yet fascinating comparison used as the core concept of the dystopian observations traced across the grooves of the project.

The instrumental opener "Sunrise Over Concrete" serves as the introduction to the bloody tale told in "Unité", a track shaped by time spent in Berlin, as shown by its motorik rhythms, obsessive lyrics, modular timbres, and hypnotic Ebm influences.

Although electronics remain their main means of expression, the introduction of guitar into their repertoire pushes KVB into alt-pop territory. Tracks like "Unbound" recall the classic shoegaze styles dear to Slowdive and Ride, while on "World On Fire" the euphoric blend of guitars and synths plays its cards very well beneath the vocal duet: an "indie" charm similar to the recent output of Jane Weaver and early Stereolab.

That KVB are a multidisciplinary artistic union is a given. Visual art and music (don't miss the videos) both feed the perpetual flame of this bond. The two elements merge perfectly in the slow-paced allegories of "Blind", in the epic "Omni", built on paradigms that recall the synthetic dynamism of Ladytron, or in the gripping synthwave of "Lumens".

"Unity" ranks among the best releases by the Mancunians. The rarefied sounds of the past now flex a bit more muscle. The guiding principle seems to be not to tamper with what shows no sign of faltering. The small tweaks to the formula, such as the new use of dual vocals swirling together with synthesized electronics and post-punk guitar cuts, layered insistently onto their established lysergic shoegaze sound, lead to a more compelling end result, one on which solid foundations can be built, destined to win over not just critics (who have always been well aligned with them) but also a far wider following.

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07/12/2021