The all-female band have released their debut album, following on from featuring as one of Kerrang! Magazine’s Breakthrough Acts of the Year in 2017. Love London Love Culture took a listen…
Formed of Diana Bartmann (drums) and Stella Vie (bass) and Princess Maha, The Kut has plenty of passion and a raw energy about them as demonstrated on their debut album. But this also means that at times they can get slightly carried away with the music that they are making to the point it becomes overwhelming to listen to.
This being said, it is an album that doesn’t mess around and is clear and concise throughout thanks to tracks such as ‘Mind Games’ and ‘No Trace’ – in which both songs are vibrant and energetic to listen to.
Meanwhile, other songs such as ‘Love in the Rush Hour’ and ‘I am Vain’ showcases a rawness to the vocals as well as the electrifying musical performances that help to keep the energy levels high throughout the album.
But it would also be fair to say that while the album has been well structured to ensure the flow of the album keeps the audience engaged, towards the middle of the album it begins to feel as though the tone of the album while consistent doesn’t quite feel adventurous enough. It would be interesting to see if The Kut could mix things up a bit to highlight their talents as musicians further as opposed to sticking to the rock vibe they have on this album (which they do well) – it just feels as if there is no risk, nothing new to latch onto instead of coming out with confidence with a new sound to make them stand out.
The album’s core strengths comes from the clear and precise vocals and sharpness of the songs themselves – both of which are strong and powerful enough to make the listener sit up and pay attention. Valley of Thorns captures the band’s potential and enthusiasm to the music they want to make effectively.
For the most part, this is a debut album that is direct and doesn’t mess around with its intention to want to stand out but The Kut (at the moment anyway) is just lacking in boldness and adventure with this album to make them completely unique which will hopefully come with their next album.
Valley of Thorns is available to buy now.