Live Review: 'Finally' experience Kirkis in his cold wave glory ahead of his debut album
Music may be hitting peak nostalgia but Kirkis has dug deeper and is riding the cold wave with his first release 'Finally' from his debut album Vide
There's something distinctly romantic KIRKIS is trying to go for: his press release begins with what seems like poetry, awash in pretty turns of phrase and builds to the announcement of his debut LP Vide. Kirkis' debut LP Vide is the French word for empty and reality, and that seems to be the descriptor for what Kirkis is about. He's taken the language of love - a language so focused on being pretty - and he's using it to describe emptiness. It'd be overwhelmingly bleak if the music didn't follow through, but by the sounds of 'Finally', the first release off the LP - it's just right. It's detached, engaging and well put together.
The video for 'Finally' is shot entirely on VHS. It begins with the bleak landscapes of London in the daytime, capturing the dull streets of the city to lead to what seems like a working class English family fighting. Kirkis is in the background until he takes it upon himself to sing his distorted song. His faux parents try their best to silence him, but their dysfunction is almost entirely performative; their attempts are lacklustre. It's this detached feeling that runs throughout the track, video and even the style around Kirkis. Following a cohesive style, distortion plays a distinct role here. The vocals are warped, the production is mechanical and all over the place without being messy. It's this detachment that is supposed to give you not just an empty feeling, but a French empty feeling: a romanticised look at being alone - finally.
The entire track and video is an homage to, or furthering of Cold Wave. Kirkis is a trained artist, musician and all round creative so his music functions not only as tracks for your hungry ears, but as art in itself. It's an interesting exploration of a genre of the past in a time in which mainstream nostalgia is at its peak. It's also good to know that he's got the chops behind him, having played all of the guitar on the latest Floating Points album, Mojave Desert.
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Kirkis' album Vide will be out on October 3rd on his own imprint label Moded.
Tracklist
01. The Vide 02. Finally 03. The Fever 04. The Glass Roses 05. Cryjoy Lostboy
06. Archangel 07. What Keeps Us Apart 08. Hey Man 09. Our House 10. Vivian
11. No Dreams 12. Miracle 13. Young Love
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