Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing a Kid Harpoon live show will testify that there is, indeed, enough energy coming off stage to probably take down a small whale. Thankfully, Tom Hull has directed this vigour into far less morally dubious pursuits with the release of his – you guessed it – second EP, ‘The Second EP’. While much of his first EP retained a demo feel to it, this time things sound more polished. But the six tracks each keep alive both the rawness of the first collection and the vibrancy of a Kid Harpoon live performance.
The drama that was in evidence on ‘The First EP’ is immediately apparent here with opener ‘Riverside’, previously released as Kid Harpoon’s first single. Verging on the epic it is dripping with imagery. Wailing guitar and Hull’s voice – alternating from whisper to snarl – cuts through the Waterboys-esque Celtic strumming, and, in fact, the ceaseless energy of ‘Riverside’ puts one in mind of Mike Scott’s band’s ‘Fisherman’s Blues’. Either way, it’s an auspicious, energetic start to the EP, with allegorical lyrics and some great vocal work.
‘Fathers And Sons’ continues the pastoral imagery of ‘Riverside’: “Baby my baby, we’ll run to an island, I’ll catch us some dinner, buy you a diamond. Playing my music with you right beside me, I will be happy there” and similarly to ‘Riverside’ is built around the combination of snare drum, strummed acoustic and robust lead guitar. ‘Suicide Grandad?’ is the strangely cheerful story of an old man contemplating a “stylish” suicide, to leave a world that holds no more for him “to the children”. Brimming with artful couplets like “we can have a laugh or be the joke” it is the perfect example of Hull’s thoughtful approach to music-making. The song’s bittersweet outlook mirrors piano-led fourth track ‘In The Dark’, which is for the most part rather gloomy, but offers that “in the dark” there is a “glimmer of hope”.
Her Body Sways is the lightest moment of the EP, preaching the preference for “birds” rather than “gunshots” in the air, and something upbeat is probably necessary for the EP not to slip into maudlin territory. Formed around a breezy piano solo and bustling rhythm section it is simply a well-executed pretty little love song. Its counterpoint is final track ‘Lay Of The Land’: a sparse contemplative ballad (this time concentrating on the negative side of romance) in the same vein as first EP highlight ‘As It Always Was’ that showcases the delicate side of Hull’s song writing as well as the quality of his voice.
With his second EP Kid Harpoon builds on the successes of the first and continues to establish his own ground among the swathe of London-based young men forging paths around him, including label-mate Jack Peñate, Jamie T and Lightspeed Champion. The songs on ‘Second EP’ are earnest, lyrically astute and often just great, and if the forthcoming debut album matches the twelve songs already released by Kid Harpoon it should certainly be one to watch out for.
****
First published on rockfeedback.com. See it here.
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