Title: The Philosophy
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: November 2015
Reviewed By: Jon Peach
This time around I'm looking at Oxford-based pop-punk band The Kaos, who will be releasing their new EP The Philosophy in November. The Kaos are Josh (vocals, guitar), Dom (Lead Guitar), Ellis (Bass) and Adam (Drums). I was lucky enough to get an interview with Josh, so I asked him to fill me in on the bands history. "The band's been going since around 2010 and were originally a three-piece. We did various tours and released three singles, gaining us a following around Oxford. Our original bass player left last year so we came together with two new members, Ellis and Dom, to form a 4-piece. The Philosophy marks a new start for us with three brand new songs and a more progressive sound.”
So I put on my cans and see if I agree with The Philosophy of The Kaos...
The EP starts off with Chow Mein, an old school pop-punk track. Fantastic guitar riffs drag you in, then Josh's vocals of youth transport you right back to 1999; he even uses the date in his well constructed lyrics. Ellis' bass and Adam's drums are tight and punchy with Dom's classic lead guitar riffs giving the track real pace. Now Josh said that The Kaos had become more progressive, and just to prove his point, two minutes into the song you get a progressive classic rock musical interlude. It works great: it's like Jimi Hendrix meets 80s post-punk, and when the bridge and the chorus follow after the interlude, they seem brighter and punchier. I've never heard it done quite the same before, but it's really very good. However, I'm pretty sure with or without the musical break I would have loved Chow Mein; it's quite simply a great track! If you love Blink-182 like I do, then you will love this song.
The third and final track on the EP is called Philosophy and sounds a bit like The Darkness without falsetto: it's more progressive classic rock. It shows off Dom's inner rock star, shredding guitar skills, and lets you hear just how tight a band The Kaos are. Josh's vocals are really great too. But does the title track of the EP really fit on the EP? Not for me; it is a bloody good song, though. It's just a little bit too rocky for me after hearing the other two songs and it doesn't quite meld itself to the rest of the EP.
The Philosophy seems like what I would call a taster EP. The Kaos are showing us just what they can do, and what direction they are heading in. It's well produced from a very good British band, and I really can't wait to hear a full album. But in my humble opinion, if I was the band, I'd push the pop-punk angle: The Kaos could be one of the best modern punk bands this country has produced. Chow Mein is now on my skate/pop-punk playlist with the likes of genre pioneers, Sum41, Blink-182 and Weezer and it fits perfectly. Good work boys, more tracks like this please!
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