Being Human
Aenaos, 2025
9/10
The Swedish outfit Killing Kind return with a sophomore album, where plenty of darker themes enter the synth and strings across 11 diverse songs.
“Humanity” opens with a post-punk fueled climate that uses synth from Mats Wigerdal alongside Bjorn Norberg’s deep pipes, and “Desperately Holding On” follows with Mats Molund’s frisky drums that align with Norberg’s moody bass which finds melody under the ominous delivery.
Halfway through, “Go Away”recruits Lidija Radmilac’s strategic viola via strong attention to mood, while “Choking” picks up the pace with a driving spirit that swirls via a tuneful quality.
“Never So Cold” and “Distant World” exit the listen. The former drones with a melancholic dreaminess, and the latter actually embraces some brighter ideas in the layered and dynamic finish.
A fascinating record the blends post-punk, synth pop, alt-rock and goth, there’s an undeniable haunting aspect to the listen, but not without plenty of power that will impress fans of The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division and David Bowie.
Travels well with: Nils Lassen- Fingerprints; The Search- Extras