Review: Kitchen’s Floor – Look Forward to Nothing (2011)

By Darragh|Music Writing, Record review|Be the first to comment!

Originally appeared in Rave Magazine on 19 September 2011. One of my favourites of 2011 so far.

KITCHEN’S FLOOR – Look Forward to Nothing
(Bedroom Suck/Stiltbreeze)

Locals Kitchen’s Floor write music that’s been chewed up, spat out, and then jammed into your ears; their songs drawn from bilge water poisoned with listlessness. Tipping their hat to the likes of Beat Happening and Pink Reason, their second record sees the band continuing their experiments in lo-fidelity downer pop, populating their songs with highly distorted off-key vocals, fuzzy guitars and swelling bass. The songs are necessarily short, documenting the ignored facets of everyday life. Vocalist Matt Kennedy channels self-doubt on Graves, repeating, “I’m not good enough” repeatedly throughout the chorus. The faster-paced Needs investigates inner turmoil, with screeching guitar riffs and Kennedy’s continued self-reflection showcasing feelings of social detachment. The notable addition of drummer Joe Alexander from Per Purpose is welcome, the percussion becoming tighter, more varied and more expressive here than on previous work. The dreamy instrumental Every Day is a good mid-act intermission, giving us a chance to absorb the lethargy, before lurching towards the wonderfully ragged Insects. Utterly compelling, Kitchen’s Floor continue to make some of the most interesting music in this city.

DARRAGH MURRAY