6/10 Daoud 04 September 2019

I’ve not followed followed Kindness’ career too closely, though I do owe them thanks for mentioning ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ in their RBMA lecture. They’re friends with Blood Orange and Solange, two of the most interesting artists operating in the space Kindness finds themself in, so I was excited for ‘Something Like A War’. But pretty soon it started to sound like, at best, a record made by someone who’s friends with Blood Orange and Solange.

On their third album Kindness are trying that same strain of weird atmospheric R&B that was pretty much perfect between ‘Negro Swan’ and ‘A Seat At The Table’, but something’s not quite right. There’s wonderful bass lines (as on ‘Lost Without’), stilted horn riffs (‘Samthing’s Interlude’), and some attempt at conjuring the elusive ambience that defines Kindness’ friends’ best work. But it stops just short. The beat on ‘Raise Up’ is too unambitious to separate it from the waves of lo-fi house we’ve recently been subject to (despite its use of eski clicks). There’s none of the aggressive stop-starting that makes Blood Orange’s music world such a thrill to inhabit, and Kindness’ voice couldn’t hope of being as evocative as Solange’s.

That last point is remedied by the guest spots on the record, Jazmine Sullivan’s full throated hook on ‘Hard to Believe’ and Bahamadia’s rhythmic rapping on the title track are standouts. Of course, what you’ll remember when you leave is ‘The Warning’, which sees Robyn doing the crying on the dance floor thing she does so well.