Killdren are the wildcard duo setting the bar for genre-defining music. Their brand continues to push two genres that go brazenly well together: punk and rave. And their new album, The Illuminaughty, not only reinforces that but elevates it to new levels. Efa Supertramp fronts the band with unapologetic activism and humor, whilst DJ Nick Ronin dishes out the bold sounds to rave to.
The album kicks off with the track ‘Tough at the Top’, an angry and chaotic song presenting satirical lyrics about capitalism, CEO’s and the grind culture which pollutes so much of our society. As we move through the song, Killdren hits us with a bass-heavy, synth section that builds into the anthemic chorus. You’ll find its physically impossible not to chant “it’s tough at the top” along with them.
Watch the music video for it below!
A catchy beat introduces the second track, ‘Can’t Pay Won’t Pay’, there are elements of glitch-core running throughout, which is elevated even more by the frequent changes in tempo. It is a raw song about living situations in the UK and the government outlook on people in poverty. This song rejects the notion of having to pay for living necessities, with an outright refusal to do so.
No one should have to choose between eating or heating.
Killdren, ‘Can’t Pay Won’t Pay’
‘No News is Good News’ is an ever relevant track about sensationalism, agenda-pushing and fear-mongering in media. It begins with Supertramp reading fabricated news articles which mirror the bigoted agendas that are always being pushed by the right-wing media. The song boasts the duos brutal honesty, and ability to laugh at effed up situations with an industrial sound.
‘Mutate to Survive’ starts off eerie, and continues that industrial sound from the previous track, the peak of this song is a robotic voice which chants “got to mutate to survive”- fitting for a song about the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry which constantly teaches us that it isn’t okay to be human and have flaws. Like all their songs, it’s made to be danced to, and it’s hard not to when a song has such an unrelenting, pulsating beat, flowing throughout.
The way Supertramp’s and Ronin’s voices complement each other is highlighted on their fifth track ‘Escape From Plague Island’. Overflowing with intriguing loops, Boris Johnson voice clips and a frantic sound, this hyper song feels lethal as it points fingers at our failing government, and makes fun of it. A nihilistic, yet pleading song that wonders “Are we too divided to make a stand?” ‘Escape From Plague Island’ is the song to show someone when they ask “what’s punk-rave?”
It was already apparent how iconic the song ‘Girl Boss’ would be as soon as I heard the They Might Be Giants sample in the intro, and the X-Ray Spex sample later. Frustrations are expressed with feminist-capitalists as Supertramp boldly states her rejection of women in capitalist and government places of power, naming and shaming the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton. This tune is rife with shouts of anger and loops that grab you with their urgent, frantic sound.
Make no mistake, Killdren do not hold back on their views towards Tories. This is especially apparent in their song ‘DNR’- do not resuscitate. A spoken-word, tongue-in-cheek track where the speaker is presented with a moral dilemma after seeing a person collapsed on the ground; and having to decide what to do after finding out that dun dun dunnn… they’re a Tory. The beat, layers and loops perfectly cushion the vocals, allowing Supertramp’s words to be at the forefront and take center stage in this comically facetious song.
The eighth track, ‘TMI’, is a song enthused with an alien sound, highlighting their lyrics about the falsities of the Internet and data, with a pounding, energetic beat.
This next song is something most can relate to: we’ve all met them, that frustrating person who feels the need to uphold every petty rule in and out of the book. Yep, I’m talking about a jobsworth, which Killdren‘s ninth track is aptly named. This futuristic electro track is full of unique sounds which applaud Ronin’s music-making abilities.
They round off the originals on this album with ‘Know Your Enemy’. This song is a crazy outbreak of sound and emotion, which begins with a dark, brutal atmosphere, accomplished through distorted growling vocals, and an ultra-fast tempo that gets more and more structurally disjoint as the song progresses. It seeks to remind us who we should be opposing, in a time when it is so easy to forget and lash out at the wrong people. The perfect closer to a mind-bending array of new music from Killdren.
There are, of course, some remixes on this album. The first of which is a ‘Tough at the Top’ remix by Freddy Frogs. Which brings a jazzy, classy vibe to the song, another welcome genre mish-mash that works unexpectedly well.
The ‘Know Your Enemy’ remix by Amousement has that dreamy synth sound that has become increasingly popular in electronic music today.
The ‘Girl Boss’ remix by Gullyteen boasts a thumping beat and satisfyingly hyper tempo that somehow makes the song even more of a blast to dance to.
And the robotic sound of ‘Mutate to Survive’ is elevated here with an abrasive dubstep remix by Obese.
Stream The Illuminaughty on bandcamp
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