Trash Kit – Horizon
Trash Kit expand their sound with strings, brass and synths on their third album, Horizon
London trio Trash Kit are, amazingly, celebrating their tenth birthday this year, though the slow-burning nature of their output suggests otherwise. Only their third album in a decade, Horizon continues the leaps and bounds they made between the scrappy post-punk idealism of 2010's self-titled record and 2014's worldview-expanding Confidence. Given lead vocalist/guitarist Rachel Aggs' other commitments between London and Glasgow with Shopping and Sacred Paws, the band's slower approach starts to make sense.
Regardless, Aggs' success with her two other outfits appears to have directly informed the ambition and scope on Trash Kit's latest record, as they complete their butterfly transformation. Aggs' cohorts Gill Partington (bass) and Rachel Horwood (drums, vocals), who also plays in Bas Jan and Bamboo, are no sloths themselves, making Horizon a deeply satisfying and rewarding piece of work. On top of these three musician's cohesiveness expanding on afrobeat rhythms, their willingness to expand their sounds with strings, woodwind and synths only make things all the more enticing.
Opening track Coasting is a gorgeous starting point, an initially understated track that subtly grows until it washes away in a sea of violins. Every Second shows the band's more immediate tendencies are still prevalent, while the album's heart lies in the one-two punches of Get Out of Bed and the expansive jazz-influenced Disco. The melancholia that underpins Trash Kit's music remains while they expand their palette, and results in an impressive piece of work.
Listen to: Coasting, Every Second, Get Out of Bed