Bring Me The Horizon - ‘Kool-Aid’ review
Bring Me The Horizon have been teasing POST HUMAN: NeX Gen for what feels like an actual generation. That's not inherently a bad thing, in that time they've toured the world, headlined Download, and had eruptions in the band itself. In fitting with their current gimmick, it does feel like the group is evolving in real time. That said, we finally have a new track to feast on with 'Kool-Aid' via RCA/Sony Music and here's what we thought.
The production opens in a very high-energy way of guitar and keys that fans have been clamouring for. The first minute honestly resembles fellow Sheffielders While She Sleeps. Both groups are creating excellent and hard tracks imbued with elements of pop. 'Kool-Aid' does have an unmistakable Oli Sykes quirk to it though. The "Kool-Aid by the jug/Give me a hug" isn't the best couplet of lyrics BMTH have produced, but the track's quality shines through. The distinctive, chugging sound of Matt Kean and Lee Malia on bass and guitar is ever-present. Matt Nicholls' effort on the drums is relentless.
One major strength is how the group have changed their writing style to tell stories. A lot of their older material is quite abstract, faceless instances. While Sykes is still addressing someone or something in recent work, it feels like world-building. Credit where its due to the band as a whole though for how they have gone all in on the NeX Gen, Cult of Genexsis motif. It gives their content a lot of character and 'Kool-Aid' is an example of the heavier material that can give way to. When harsh and clean vocals from everyone layer over one another it gives the idea that BMTH's multiple personalities have reached a singular point. Anything they have made since Posthuman feels like their previous styles have converged.
Brief moments of 'Kool-Aid' has flickers of their There Is a Hell era. I name-dropped that record as it was a point where Bring Me had the balance of styles almost perfect, and what came next? Bring Me have always been able to do the heavier stuff like this, but it's a flex that for years in the 2010s, they didn't need to. As with everything the band does, ‘this track might not be for some, you don’t have to love it. 'Kool-Aid' feels like the progression into a second peak of form when they've barely come down from the first. A word used earlier on was 'production', that’s what Bring Me The Horizon is at this point in their careers. The group is multifaceted, which is not for everyone, but they as a full team keep adding loads to their catalogue. 'Kool-Aid' is a very good next step in that process. But it feels like they have even better in store for us.
‘Kool-Aid’ is out now via RCA/Sony Music and POST HUMAN: NeX Gen is to be released later in the year. Bring Me The Horizon are currently on tour with extensive dates across the UK and Europe.
