Album Review: The Kills- God Games

This is enough to make a porn star blush. This album is pure filth. The Kills have always made music that seems coated in sticky booze, cigarette ash and bodily fluids, but this, their sixth, could be the sexiest since ‘No Wow’. Alison Moorhart’s voice is still raspy and soulful, and Jamie Hince’s guitar playing remains jagged and sparse, but there’s a more layered offering here. Influences are getting more diverse.

‘Love and Tenderness’ has a trip hop scratchiness, whereas ‘Going To Heaven’ is Studio 54 narcotic funk slinkiness, with clicks and staccato piano. ‘LA Hex’ comes on like grunge gospel. Then, ‘Wasterpiece’ is just classic garage influenced Kills.

But as ever, there’s that 3 am introspection, that little sliver of vulnerability. This is best heard on the almost pretty ‘103’ and ‘My Girls My Girls’ , the latter of which pushes Hince’s vocal into the mix so the genders blur. Then a choral element brings a little sugar. It’s not quite Al Green territory, more post-club comedown.

It’s all glorious, in short, and great to hear the dynamic duo expand their sound, without losing that gritty element that so seduced from the start, twenty years ago. It’s astonishing how they develop every time. Long may they reign.

Main image: Myles Hendrick

Out now via Domino.

http://www.thekills.tv