The Kills Continue Expansion Of Rock Duo Boundaries With Biting ‘God Games’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Credit: Myles Hendrik

For The Kills‘ sixth studio album, the duo took their time (working on other projects, and dealing with a pandemic) until God Games emerged; a dark album that pushed Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince even further as artists.     

Hince started writing with the intention of doing a side project, so the songs wouldn’t sound like his main band, but realized that is exactly where the muse was taking him. After encouraging Mosshart to write herself (both focusing on writing on keyboards instead of guitars), the duo worked with GRAMMY-winning producer Paul Epworth (Adele) who was the band’s original soundman back in 2002. Having known the duo in their formative days, Epworth helped bring in some modern pop influences, yet never lost their grit, even while Hince plays less guitar than on any past Kills release. 

That said, the opening “New York” is the album’s most rocking, and a classic Kills-sounding track. The awesome banger uses head-bopping industrial clanging that struts with confidence. Mosshart’s lyrics are an ode to the Big Apple as she sings with danger and desire flirting in the background. Programmed strings and electro squiggles float through the thinner “Going To Heaven” as images of fiery below and angelic above are lyrically toyed with throughout the song and the album as a whole. 

The group stretches out and experiments with distorted modern pop and freaked-out light reggae/Caribbean sounds via the swaying “My Girls My Girls” which ends up floating into a dynamite finale sung by the Compton Kidz Club Choir. The swirling “LA Hex” is also dynamic, starting out as a spoken word, slowly rolling like a Los Angeles night around distorted guitar before a chorale finish.  

The duo also places their distortion into new wave-electro pop lands as “103” uses slapping digital percussion around Mosshart’s fantastic vocals, while the bouncing “Masterpiece” continues the neon glowing, distorted dance party. “Kingdom Come and Get It” forgoes almost all the grit and grime for a poppy disco dance beat with less engagement while the title track vibrates with electro beats but goes nowhere of note.

The misses are minor though compared to the successes, as Mosshart shines brightly throughout with lyrics and stunning vocals. The head-bopping, rolling confidence of “Love and Tenderness” finds Mosshart secure and swaggering amidst the grungy rock while “Bullet Sound” feels like a Dead Weather outtake as she deploys dark and sexy singing supported by marching drums with echoey vocal effects. 

The album ends on a hopeful note as Hince and Mosshart point towards “Better Days” with artsy percussion guiding the way. The Kills God Games is a step forward for the band, expanding their sound while retaining what makes them successful.  

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