Album Review: Braids Abandons Guitars For Synths On New EP “In Kind // Amends”

By: Sam Rashid (@thisissamrashid) –

The Montreal-based Braids, which features Blue Hawaii’s Raphaelle Standell-Preston, creates a fountain of electronic whims and melodies on their new EP, In Kind // Amends, out  June 11 via Flemish Eye Records, which serves as a predecessor to their forthcoming sophomore LP, which is due out this fall.

In Kind // Amends breaks away from Braids’ previous guitar-driven sound as found on their 2011 Polaris Music Prize-shortlisted debut album Native Speaker. Having abandoned the instrument, albeit with “In Kind”, which is the only song this time around that has guitar on it, they have instead opted for an electronic approach, which drenches their sound in beats and synths.

But not to worry, the music and tracks evolve and unravel in a way that is more original than their earlier material about also slightly reminiscent.

The lyrics are honest and even slightly haunting at times, like with the track “Amends”. It fades in and out, and with the combination of thumping bass and varied delays, it’s enough to get any music lover up off their seat and dancing like Thom Yorke.

With In Kind // Amends,  Braids has perfected their knack for consistently being able to draw the listener in with each song and bring them into their own world of trance like bliss. The main reason that they accomplish this is with their tight musicianship. They seamlessly match up a synth beat, drum beat, melody or vocal expression with the ambience and tone of the song, which seems to draw from the likes of Aphex Twin, or Burial.

After a quick listen to this EP, you are thinking, “wait a second, this sounds like Blue Hawaii.” And you would be quite right! The style of vocals and use of synth and beats is almost impossible to differentiate.  And so much so that in a play list of the two artists, it would be rather difficult to pick out who is who.

All that being said, Braids’ new EP is worthy of being turned up to 11 on a good stereo and being the background music for one hell of a dance party.

Essential Tracks: “In Kind” and “Amends”.