There’s been stirring from the CYAN KICKS camp in recent days! Having recently heard vocalist Susanna Aleksandra loaning her voice to one of ARION‘s new singles, we realized that her own band had just released an EP entitled “Not Your Kind” on March 1st, 2021, via Ranka Kustannus. There was next to no promotion for this album, unfortunately, so we’re glad we found it when we did!
The EP opens forcefully with “The Flood,” an instantly strong progression of the band’s sound from their 2019 debut, “I Don’t Love You.” The EP is already more diverse than its predecessor, with more variety in sound heard already in the second track, which is likewise the title track. This piece is a bit slower, perhaps not quite in ballad territory since it maintains a fairly upbeat melodic rhythm, less in-your-face and a bit more gentle, yet still forceful.
“Beat of My Heart” is my personal least favorite song, but I 100% chalk that up to me simply being far older than their target age group, as lyrically it feels very dramatic. Otherwise, it’s pretty across-the-board nice if you’re into that kind of thing. “Weltschmerz” [world-weariness] is another slightly slower piece, with a strong electronic rhythm and interesting atmospherics added in for flavor. “Wish You Well” pushes a bit more force and grit into the music, particularly in the vocals, which is a nice touch. The album closes with “Let Me Down Slowly,” which throws back to CYAN KICKS‘ original singles. It has the same issue for me with being a bit young for my taste, but ultimately sound-wise, it serves as a nice wrap-up and is a strong piece with which to close the whole package.
The whole EP clocks in at just 22 minutes, so it’s an easy collection to throw on, but does leave the listener wanting a bit more. While the band’s sound is still a bit similar to bands like COLD KINGDOM, they are developing a bit of their own identity and it’ll be interesting to see where they’ll go with their next album. This is a nice light EP to throw on to pass a few moments, and if you listen, it might just suck you in with its singalong-able lyrics and stylish modern charm.
Tracklist
- The Flood
- Not Your Kind
- Beat of My Heart
- Weltschmerz
- Wish You Well
- I Want You Gone
- Let Me Down Slowly
Line-Up
Susanna Aleksandra – vocals
Niila Perkkiö – guitars
Leevi Erkkilä – bass
Pietari Reijonen – drums
Label
Ranka Kustannus
