Arriving in the Valentine’s Day afterglow, via Nice Swan Records, Opus Kink’s latest single (and dedicated set opener) ‘I Love you, Baby’ succeeds, because it bottles their rambunctious concert frenzy so faithfully.
To begin with, this deftly arranged sub-three minute whirlwind rips post-haste into a garage lick culled straight from the riff-book of Them. The ensuing rollercoaster of rock ‘n’ rolling impetuosity, of stake-in-the-heart staccato strikes, of fever-pitch declarations of truest love – “when I’m pissing in the rain, I Love You, Baby” – is a culmination of everything Opus Kink have hitherto strove towards. Here lies a different kind of punk: refreshed, soulful and defiant.
To any uninitiated, the eye-popping extremities of Brighton-born Opus Kink can be most swiftly understood in a boozy live arena. Witnesses to any of their recent live shows would have uncovered a sextet of formidable arrangement, configured like so. One: vocals rasping with a Joe Strummer snarl, rapture and mania in every cursèd syllable. Two: dam-break gushes of trumpet and sax, brimming like the tides. Three: a rhythm section roaring at one gazillion mph, gallons of adrenaline heaving through their beat. Four: bellicose keys, vamping old tales of tarantulas and mosquitos, bedrocking everything.
The new issue of So Young is out now! Issue Thirty-Six features interviews with Wet Leg (Print Cover), Jockstrap (Online Cover, below), Black Country, New Road, Metronomy, NewDad, Teeth Machine, ENUMCLAW, Been Stellar, Blue Bendy, BODEGA, Catcher and more. Order your copy here or read the digital edition below.