KDC – “The Veracity of Solitude” [Album Review]

Um… I don’t really know what just happened. Like falling down a short staircase, KDC’s The Veracity of Solitude was over before I realized I was listening to it, and the last thing I remember before I came tumbling down was pressing the play button. In order to convey the sound of this band, I would like to set the scene.

A friend’s band is playing a show at a local venue. He hands you a flier and asks that you come early to make sure that you don’t miss his band’s set. Your friend could also be a “she,” but 9 times out of 10, your friend who plays in a band has a penis. You read the flier. It’s a Tuesday night. Doors open at 5pm, and the first band of 7 starts to play at 5:30pm. You and your show buddy show up around 7:44pm after getting a distressed text at 7:00pm saying, “Hey we r up nxt where u @?” You pass a group of 4 hipsters sucking on cigs in the freezing cold outside the club, step inside, pay 5 dollars at the door, peek into the main stage area, which is empty, and are instructed to go up the stairs that lead to the UPSTAIRS bar. With your hand stamped, you start to climb the stairs, and you recognize your friend’s voice over the PA system panting, “This is our last song… It’s called, ‘—-‘” *guitar feedback*” Opening the door, the pounding of the drums and white wash of high frequency noise coming from the ungated, overdriven guitar amps wash over you. About 40 people stand awkwardly, soaking in the art while the regulars sit at the bar. The amount of flannel and beanies is overwhelming but welcoming. This is the punk/hardcore underground music scene.

KDC brings the raw, live feel of an intimate stage performance to this album. Rolled in a tightly wound pack of aggression, there is little to no breathing room as high tempo power chords and ADHD rhythms continuously assault your ear holes. While at times chaotic, the non-traditional song forms make for an interesting listen that demands attention, not to mention that the songs tend to be under 2 minutes long, so if you missed it, you missed it. The vocals are all of the screamy/yelly variety, which at times made me want to offer the singer a Snickers because he seems to be quite frustrated with something. I couldn’t quite make out what, though. There were moments that reminded me of early System of a Down. While not quite as memorable as “Chop Suey,” mostly due to the lack of vocal variety and dynamics, there were several moments that made me restart songs to hear what I missed on the first listen.

PS: I feel like making any comparison to System of a Down might actually be misleading. Think abbreviated “The Dillinger Escape Plan” perhaps instead, even though TDEP fans will want to stab me in the neck for saying that. Good day.

Track Listing:

01. rutwaltz
02. snowcripple
03. condado
04. 23to28
05. ft. carson
06. echopark
07. leadpoison
08. trujillo
09. neverface
10. pinkeye
11. endead
12. astray

Run Time: 19:49
Release Date: December 3, 2013