Unsigned Act Of The Week: Victory Kicks.

Victory Kicks draw the listener in from the outset. The first track of their debut album – ‘The Decibel Age’ (released by independent record label Unmanned Aerial Vinyl) – is ‘Suitcase’. The first thing that I notice is that the guitar work is evocative of Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex On Fire’, but it’s far more mellow – the sort of track you could fall asleep listening to. That’s not to say it’s boring, by any means. Ten tracks consisting of melodic lo-fi indie rock left me feeling pretty chilled out, and I can certainly see the band earning a place on your BBQ playlist this year (if we actually get a summer, that is).

I find my foot tapping along to ‘Junior Code Course’ and they even have me swaying at one point; credit to a catchy bassline that merges perfectly with driving percussion and frontman John Sibley’s saccharine, floaty vocals. It’s pretty clear that musically they take inspiration from The Replacements, with sliding guitar and simplistic, but dominant, percussion work. However, it’s the raw emotion and melancholic timbre to Sibley’s voice that are the driving force behind acoustic track ‘Losing Time’. A welcome change, an acoustic track enabling the listener to appreciate the lyrics: “I’m in quite a state, I’m in trouble again / losing time / so please don’t you ever disappear”.

The album takes the listener on a rollercoaster; an upbeat track is followed by one that is slightly mellower, and then the process repeats. ‘Autumn Machine’ is probably my favourite track as it reminds me of The Thrills’ ‘Santa Cruz’, minus the Irish lilt – it’s got a catchy chorus and the instrumental is far more slick, more confident-sounding than it is on the other tracks. ‘The Decibel Age’ is dominated by the kind of sweet sounding songs that make it onto movie soundtracks like ‘500 Days Of Summer’ – alongside Doves’ ‘There Goes The Fear’.

Although, perhaps the inclusion of female vocals would add a certain ‘oomph’ or ‘wow’ factor to material, The Decibel Age is an inoffensive offering – charming, easy listening that definitely doesn’t require any track skipping. And, with this band’s finely tuned sound, it’s hard to believe that they only formed in early 2013. I look forward to hearing what else they bring out, and shall be keeping my eyes and ears peeled for any shows they put on near me!

Bethany Kirkbride