{"id":58681,"date":"2018-04-11T19:00:59","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T18:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=58681"},"modified":"2018-04-11T23:13:44","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T22:13:44","slug":"review-kermes-we-choose-pretty-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-kermes-we-choose-pretty-names\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Kermes – We Choose Pretty Names"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The queer-punk-slash-indie-punk scene has seen an almost meteoric rise in recent years, running concurrent with an increased interest in debates surrounding identity politics and gender. Often, the genre finds itself straddling the line between punk-rock and twee, ground that has been trodden on countless times before, making for a sound that can sometimes be a little worn out. Still, the subject matter is important and personal, and will usually be treated as a separate entity to the music.<\/p>\n

Leicester’s\u00a0Kermes<\/strong> are a band that have aligned themselves with this movement through their DIY touring and 2016’s\u00a0‘You See Others Seeing You<\/em>‘<\/em> EP. That release saw them discuss themes of transgender identity, misogyny, and queer relationships (to name but a few). Now, two years on, their debut full-length,\u00a0‘We Choose Pretty Names’<\/em>, builds upon these themes and gets even more personal.<\/p>\n

Their DIY sound comes across instantly in opener\u00a0‘I Wanna Be Yr Sometimes<\/em>‘, and runs throughout the album. It perpetuates the band’s earnest image and serves to mimic the atmosphere at one of their shows. The vocals are raw and range from indie harmonies to screeching emotional breakdowns from line to line, both effortlessly and unpredictably.<\/p>\n