Having gushed over their "Great Outdoors" mini-album earlier in the year it would certainly be callous of me to be any less enthusiastic about Kidnapper Bells latest single release 'An Evening.' I was already more than familiar with the song (the tracks featured on their album and I've seen the band live twice this year) but hearing it in the context of a single release is a completely different ball-game altogether. It's a delicate song which utilizes the band's trademark rhythmic shifts and chiming guitars, but in a more subtle and refined way. The chorus' repeated vocal refrain (guided by expert harmonies) is both memorable and affecting with the melancholic edge lent significant weight by the sparse guitar work, fluent bass and fractured drums. It's a gorgeous song and underlines my serious confusion as to why this band are not more popular.

For my money however the B-Side 'The Way It Goes' may have stood more chance as a potential underground hit. It's the flip-side to 'An Evening's measured grace with it's urgent pace and wild, harried guitars, it's here that the Biffy Clyro comparisons become abundantly clear. Having said that the band have taken a risk in releasing 'An Evening' as a single, and in a market where risks are more often than not scorned rather than celebrated, surely Kidnapper Bell should be commended.


On a side-note if you get the chance to see this band live please go out of your way to see them, unsigned bands of this caliber need all the support they can muster!