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Review: Kindness – Otherness

★★★☆☆

Three Stars

“I see myself as a student… Why wouldn’t I reach out to other producers, or learn the way that others craft their sounds?” Adam Bainbridge (AKA Kindness)’s words speak volumes of his sophomore album; Otherness is a work of varied performers as well as influences. Unfortunately, the quality of the tracks is equally varied.

Stylistically, the album’s cover art is a strong indication of the reminiscent, semi-ironic pop music that it accompanies. In fact, the overall sound of Otherness is not far from that of 2013’s Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange (Devonté Hynes). No surprise, then, that the two singer-songwriter- producers have worked closely over the last few years.

‘World Restart’, the record’s opening song, is in many ways the highlight. The refrain of the chorus and the driving bassline provide something instant to hold on to, while wonky horn parts, thick harmony, and highly interesting production assure that the track is no disposable lead-single. ‘I’ll Be Back’ further contributes to the great promise shown by the first half of Otherness. A cheesy yet stunning piano part joins Bainbridge’s catchy vocal melodies over a driving house beat to create a blend that appeals as much to the heart as it does to the feet. Robyn’s vocals on ‘Who Do You Love?’ are a refreshing change and the inclusion of further guest vocalists — including Kelela, Manifest and Dev Hynes (surprise) — assure that the listener is not totally pissed off by Bainbridge’s nasal tone and tiresome melisma by the end of the album.

Six tracks in, Otherness sounds like an album that should rectify the disappointment that was Kindness’ debut World, You Need A Change Of Mind. The artist’s ability to write a strong pop song, sample other records smoothly (note the drum track of ‘This Is Not About Us’ that sounds suspiciously like that of Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Sympathy’) and produce records in a polished manner shine through.

What a shame that what follows in the final four tracks is so underwhelming.

‘Geneva’: a slow, unchanging song that can be credited solely with containing quite a nice synth sound, begins what can only be described as a self-indulgent end period in the album. Suddenly the lyrics appear to demonstrate a failed search for profundity on Bainbridge’s part; as the singer whines “I’ve been searching,” it is hard not to think that something was never found. In all fairness, ‘Why Don’t You Love Me’ does contain a section of around fifty seconds that might constitute the makings of a good song, but even here the listener is presented with nothing new. ‘It’ll Be OK’ is also dull, but thankfully includes a fairly enjoyable saxophone solo to finish the record.

That Otherness falls short of an excellent album should not completely turn off potential listeners. The first six tracks amount to an impressive work, and they do make the record an improvement on World, You Need A Change of Mind. Yet, the album as a whole fails to live up to its potential, or to reach the standard set by Blood Orange’s Cupid Deluxe.

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