I was thrown the first time I listened to this. I came in blind, expecting “the Dirtnap sound.” But what matters isn’t the brand, it’s if the music is good, so it’s a silly bias to begin with. It also took me a few listens before I realized that the files I was sent weren’t tagged right, so I was listening in alphabetical order rather than properly sequenced. Getting that fixed has significantly changed my feelings about Punch Drunk. Sequencing matters, folks. More on that later.
More Kicks play power pop with a British indie thing doing on. My first impressions were thinking it was kind of a rock ‘n’ roll version of The Shins, though I’m ultimately not convinced that does the band any justice. It’s extremely melodic, peppy and, generally, positive in tone. It feels uplifting, with a few somber moments for balance as the record plays on. As I mentioned, they’ve put this together in an enticing way that builds to a general uplifting vibe with some hardships along the way.
The band checks a lot of familiar boxes, but they mix it up nicely throughout. Power pop leads the way, but sometimes they use touching harmonies, sometimes minimalist balladry, a little bit of speak-sing in “Hurts Like Hell,” and then you get Kinks guitar rock in “Seven Ways,” which gives a little extra kick. It almost all works, feeling cohesive as part of a bigger story. It all culminates in smooth and soothing pop songs, like “Colour Me Stupefied,” but in a careful balance that lets them soar.
The story is what makes this record more compelling on repeat. It develops and shifts themes -- a story of growth from the opener, “Hurts Like Hell,” to the closer, “Goodnight Goodnight” -- presenting tales of frustration, disappointment, self-awareness and, ultimately, acceptance.
It's a complete album that, going back to my intro, is well sequenced to take listeners on a journey. But it’s not just a concept record. The singles can stand alone, too, in large part because of that punchy poppy tone and the driving bass lines that set it all up. Personal complaints would be that I have trouble deciphering some lyrics (often in comical ways, e.g. “Breakfast for the rest of our lives.”), I find the keyboard distracting in that same song (“Rest of Our Lives”), and I think the general balance of the record may have hit me harder, earlier on, with perhaps one less ballad. I also find “Animal” a bit redundant thematically with some other songs in the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon, though it stands out musically. But that’s nitpicking a quality record that keeps growing on me. At first I was fairly dismissive of Punch Drunk, but repeat listening has turned me around.
