Who could possibly say no to a request for a review when it comes from a band called Oh My God! It’s The Church?!!
Their latest single, Kiss My ApocaLips, is a magnificent rock ’n’ roll track that just oozes confidence.
Think Black Crowes. Think 90s Lynyrd Skynyrd. Think ZZ Top or even AC/DC in places.
Kiss My ApocaLips blasts into your ears with that good old fashioned Bob Seger feel to it. This song is bursting with energy.
The honky tonk piano is a nice touch and cuts through well in the mix. This was what made me think Skynyrd. I can just imagine this band doing well on the bar scene in the US… but rather I find out they’re UK based. Nonetheless, I bet they’re killing it on the live scene. I know most of the venues on their upcoming tour dates and they, and their audiences are gonna have a blast!
There’s some really confident, strutting lead vocals in this track that put me in mind very much of the Black Crowes. The twang technique is used to good effect here and the opportunities to showcase the vocalist alone during the breaks from instrumentation, and the last line (just solo vox) are put to good use.
I heard some really great builds throughout this song that help maintain interest. Particular kudos to the Billy Idol “Mony Mony” style pre-chorus at one point… this just kept on building and it sure did make me smile. A really well done tension creator leading into a very catchy chorus.
The guitar solo was authentic – very Skynyrd again. This band remind me of so many British bands who’ve been mistaken for American. Its the authenticity that does it for me.
I have a couple of suggestions for recording and production for next time. Just my personal thoughts, but the track feels to be missing a lot of top end brightness which means that it loses some clarity, as well as that superb tambourine work! To counter the guitars feeling a little muddy, try adding an acoustic into the mix, or even an unplugged electric. Just to add a bit more clarity to the rhythm guitars. I’d like to hear more of the close mics on kick and snare too. This feels as if it was recorded on room mics on the drums, therefore just adding a little more distance to the sound than I feel the song needs. All of the above suggestions will help balance out the EQ of the overall track and bring it into feeling a little more stereo.
I have to say, I love this style of music. This is a positive, feel good, old time rock ’n’ roll track that has all of us here at Send Me Your Ears grinning from ear to ear.
We give this four ears out of five. More please. Lovely stuff!
