KIDNEY BLACK - Urban Decay (2025) Hi-Res

It's like yesterday that I first picked up the pink cassette of "Lychnopolis Sessions" which contained 6 of their songs, as a first introduction. The three tracks on the second side return to take their place on their first complete work, entitled "Urban Decay".

The band's musical experience is a given, as we have written before, and they have bands such as Earthbound, Raindogs and Semen of the Sun on their CV, which is also heard in the result, which stems from the tight bond between the members.

The sound is familiar. Garzato post punk that reminds us of great figures of the genre such as Wipers and Joy Division, Wire, Gang of Four and others, while the similarity of their sound with The Last Drive is pleasant.

The dark, cloudy envelope that hides their musical sunshine suits the weather conditions of my new home, in The Hague. Kidney Black’s songs smell of wet, fallen autumn leaves and have the feeling of the long-awaited coolness after another hot Greek summer. So wear a raincoat, because it may rain on September 8th, open your wallet and grab one of the “Urban Decay” vinyls.

Until then, I can’t stop listening to my favorite “The Promise”, while I discover new likes in the opening “The Way”, but also in “What’s left to pray” and “Ghosts of the past”, looking out the large Dutch window, I reminisce about the urban clusters of solar water heaters and TV antennas, which proudly (not) stand on the cover.