The Kill Van Kulls - Fools Wish

It’s always interesting to take a brief look back at some of the bands who went down well at an industry showcase like In The City, just for the sake of examining where they’re at a few months later. Contrasting fortunes can await the much-hyped local bands at events like ITC, with Slow Motion Shoes a prime example of a Manchester band whose demise has sadly come too soon after wowing many of ITC’s attendees back in October.

The Kill Van Kulls however, seem to be in rude health. They’ve built on the momentum that their early gigs provided and now boast a great array of songs in their armoury. This new single ‘Fools Wish’ is a testament to the quartet’s recent moves to identify a signature sound and shoot for the stars with it.

From the outset, a blanket of synths inter-mingles effortlessly with a slow-burning rhythm section. The instrumentation, alongside the palpable sense of drama within its arrangement, makes it clear that The Kill Van Kulls are channelling a fond appreciation for the 80s in what they do.

Some may be dismissive of the lyrics, but anyone partial to a stadium-ready chorus after a steady build will find something they like here. From a vocal point-of-view, we’re in OMD / Cure territory (or maybe Black Kids for want of a more recent reference point) but that’s not to say that the band are ripping anyone off outright.

There’s something distinctively British, fragile and self-effacing about ‘Fools Wish’ and if the rumours are true about it being conceived in a disused mill in Stockport, then the setting’s undoubtedly at odds with the true scale that they’re aiming for as 2011 rolls on.