Komakino
Demo EP

Komakino, so I’ve discovered, have a bit of a pretty-boy reputation around Derby; all mullety hair cuts and skinny-fit t-shirts with a front man who any Colour Of Fire groupie would be dangerous around. Certainly, they look the part, but hair cuts do not a band make, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that their (equally as lovely looking) demo is actually pretty damn good!

Let’s start with, say… the first track on this li’l demo, 'Assassin'. Essentially, it’s a pretty, sunny summer’s day, wind-in-the-hair, thoughtful track based around the line “They flew planes into buildings on my birthday”. Which, aside from the slightly disconcerting fact that two of the band members (twin guitarists Stuart and Martin) do indeed celebrate their birthday on September 11th, makes for one cool-as-fuck lyric.

So there am I, mulling over cool-as-fuckness thus far, when a murky, simmering and bubbling bassline leads way for a series of clattering, flittering drum rolls as ‘Initial AB’ kicks in, simply oozing attitude and effortless sleaze, making the previous track seem comparatively almost like the soundtrack to an episode of The Waltons.

Although this demo is far from perfect production-wise, and occasionally hints at the possibility of meandering concerningly too far into NME-indie/garagerock territory, one thing’s for sure – Komakino have something special about them. Their combination of soft and sweet vocal lulls with thick under-currents of purring bass and simple, snotty, punctuating guitar-lines could well be something you’ll be hearing a lot of in months to come. Hopefully.