Back when Matt Skiba introduced his new solo endeavour, Matt Skiba and The Sekrets, two years ago with ‘Babylon’, I thought it was a worthy companion to the Alkaline Trio catalogue. It didn’t emulate his full-time job too much nor did it stray too far from it. When I reviewed it upon its release, I was a big fan of it. I even spent what little money I had on a vinyl copy of it. However in hindsight my review shouldn’t have been as favourable as it was. Two years on from ‘Babylon’ and I can’t remember a thing about. I don’t even have the vinyl anymore (because of what little money I have). Basically ‘Babylon’ lacked staying power.

With The Sekrets’ second effort, ‘Kuts’, Skiba sees the project heading into a more 80s synth heavy direction yet this isn’t obvious at first as ‘Lonely and Kold’ and ‘She Wolf’ with spiky guitars dominating alongside Skiba’s warming but morose vocal delivery. Whilst lead single ‘Krazy’ wouldn’t sound out of place as an Alkaline Trio b-side.

However it is on tracks like ‘She Said’ and ‘I Just Killed to Say I Love You’ where The Sekrets come into their (his) own. The former is a light yet upbeat number with a subtle groove and is carried by post-punk-esque energy. The latter is reminiscent of The Cure and David Bowie with an oozing synth giving way to a promising chorus. Later on, ‘Krashing’ has the same slick synth-heavy sound but isn’t as effective.

Lyrically Skiba once again proves his worth as a songwriter and uses his personal troubles (like his recent divorce) to his advantage. ‘Way Bakk When’ offers him a chance to reflect despite it being somewhat of a musically structured mess.

My issue with ‘Kuts’ is that far to often than not it comes off as weak and light. Although Skiba has shown a willingness to explore and experiment, later songs like ‘Never Believe’ struggle to leave a lasting impression. Sure his sad, reflective lyrics do stir up some emotion but it’s not enough to keep you interested. The record is rounded off with ‘Vienna’ with Skiba unplugged with just a guitar and an accompanying piano allowing him to produce a soft, raw ballad to finish ‘Kuts’ off.

Although 32 minutes isn’t out of the ordinary for a length of an album these days, you’re still left thinking Skiba had more to offer on ‘Kuts’. His exploration in to other sounds and styles is admirable yet isn’t consistent enough to leave a lasting impression. Nevertheless Skiba produces enough hooks for the record to appeal to old and new fans alike. On paper, ‘Kuts’ sounds promising with its musical progression and deeply personal lyrical approach yet the final results are mixed. I wanted to like ‘Kuts’, it had a lot to offer but ultimately I’m left unsatisfied with what Skiba has produced. However I’m still interested to see how the project evolves in the coming years.

3/5

‘Kuts’ by Matt Skiba and The Sekrets is out now on Superball Music.

Matt Skiba and The Sekrets links: Facebook

Words by Sean Reid (@SeanReid86)