Sometimes, music has the most effect when it is stripped back to its rawest. Every so often, one longs for the what is simply the sound of people in a room: no frills, no gimmicks, no pretensions – in this case, the music speaks for itself. Glow Kit would know all about this, as their self-titled debut just gets the job done. It doesn’t mess around, doesn’t hesitate, and above all, it does a lot to suggest that the ‘traditional’ band format is not dead; maybe a little harder to find in these days where the creation of music has become just as valid as a solo platform as anything else, but it’s definitely not dead.

Fourteen songs are tossed out in just over 25-and-a-half minutes; the Danish duo aren’t ones for hanging about, and as a result of this, I would like to invite anyone who reads this review and happens to like Tokyo Police Club’s debut EP A Lesson in Crime to give this a go. This self-titled record finds its feet almost immediately with Stood a Chance, and from there, the listener needs to pay rapt attention, or most of the rest of the album will pass them by.

These songs don’t hang about; a lot of them hover about the 90-second mark, and this makes the album closer Take It Back, which tops out at almost five minutes, seem positively epic in comparison. It is the one song on the album that hangs around enough for Glow Kit to stretch their wings a little, tossing out a couple of verses before settling into a lengthy, krautrock-ish jam session which contains one of the finest melodies on the record. Right at the album’s last gasp, Glow Kit prove that there is more to them than most people might think.

Even so, a record like this sounds incredibly vibrant; they could write these kinds of songs in their sleep, but not a single one sounds tossed off, and Head Factory, the song which was used to flag the album before release, is merely the tip of the iceberg. Do You Really and Misunderstood are the songs on which the band sound the most raucous, but the entire album is filled with an infectious, feel-good energy. Glow Kit write songs simply for the pleasure of making music, and it’s a noble ideal that they deserve plenty of credit for. Some will call this album samey, but to me it’s a crucial breath of fresh air – and really, it’s incredibly difficult to argue with music that is this much fun.

Glow Kit is released on May 28th via Alcopop! Records.

[BUY] Glow Kit – Glow Kit as MP3 @ Amazon | iTunes
[BUY] Glow Kit – Glow Kit on CD in limited edition glow-in-the-dark sleeve from Alcopop!

Here’s the whole album stream: