Rating: NNN
Adam Bainbridge, aka Kindness, is like that friend who turns you on to new or obscure music. His debut album, World, You Need A Change Of Mind, played like a history lesson in dance music sub-genres.
Astute listeners might pick up on the jazz and funk references in its follow-up, but this time around Bainbridge has channelled his influences into more personal, relatable music. Meaning, the production doesn’t always overshadow the songwriting.
Otherness drifts between accessible and experimental, noise and space, as a rotating cast of vocalists sing lovelorn melodies over soft piano, sighing horns, harp and sub-bass. Sometimes the album delights in confounding this beauty and tranquility. On Who Do You Love?, a funky break drops in and out as if attempting to drag a solemn-sounding Robyn into a club by one arm.
With some exceptions, the songs truly take flight when Kindness cedes the mic to others, like Robyn or Kelela, whose voices add depth and suggestiveness – with an ease that eludes Bainbridge himself – elevating the album’s bland lovelorn sentiment.
Top track: With You, featuring Kelela
