ALBUM REVIEW: Here’s What You Could Have Won – Kid Kapichi

Writing songs about events in the world is always extremely risky. The most obvious reason is that you don’t want to date your music. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a time capsule for future generations. KID KAPICHI, a punk band from Hastings, write their songs as close as possible to events to make it recent, so naturally their new album, Here’s What You Could Have Won, covers the events of the past two years.

New England opens up the record with a swaggering, sardonic punk song that doesn’t hide the anger behind it. There is something refreshing about the raw sound. The song is further helped by a brilliant verse by Bob Vylan. It’s not only a rousing punk song, but it is a fantastic opening song that shows that KID KAPICHI are not here to play around.

Over the ten songs that follow it, the band have great fun, but also make their feelings extremely clear, whether that is on a song like Rob The Supermarket, an upbeat funky rock song, or where they explore the slog of the working life on 5 Days On (2 Days Off). Whilst the song titles are not at all subtle (and neither are the lyrics), there is something brilliant about a band that refuses to hide behind vague metaphors. In fact, whilst the band say that they write about current events (and there’s no denying that they do), the majority of the lyrics could be about any time period; they cover subjects such as racism, mental health and in-work poverty.

Unfortunately, there is an elephant in the room. That is the sixth song, Party At Number 10, which does pose a risk of becoming dated. It was written after the Partygate scandal where it was found that politicians in Number 10 were hosting parties whilst the rest of the world was in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song itself isn’t bad; in fact, it is a gentle acoustic song that has juxtaposing lyrics. However, whilst the lyrics try and stay as vague as possible, there is no denying what the song is about. Furthermore, the acoustic song slows down the pacing quite a bit. On the other hand, the song could be viewed as an important one, as it pinpoints a time in history.

The album picks up the pacing again from there though, particularly with the upbeat rock influenced Cops And Robbers, the grunge rock of Tar Pit, and the fast-paced punk of Smash The Gaff.  Even though there is a ballad called Never Really Had You, the song does not affect the overall pacing. Special is another ballad; however, it feels natural. After the heaviness of the album, it feels nice to just slow down. Furthermore, the stripped back approach places the lyrics front and centre. The song itself is talking about poverty, and how things never seem to change. It’s heartbreaking, but a fantastic end to the album.

Overall, Here’s What You Could Have Won is a superb album. Its snarling punk tone and energy is brilliant. Despite a couple of pacing issues, the album mostly flows extremely well. However, it is the lyrics that are the real winner. They are heartbreaking, but also angry and sardonic. There is something for everyone on this album and it is clear that KID KAPICHI are at the top of their game.

Rating: 8/10

Here’s What You Could Have Won is set for release on September 23rd via Spinefarm Records.

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