Reviews list for Kowloon Walled City - Grievances (2015)

Sandwiched between their 2012 and 2021 offerings, Grievances follows pretty much the tried and tested path that I have grown to trust Kowloon Walled City to tread.  As I become more immersed in their discography the more I sense that I am just tracking a series of above four star ratings for a band that do nothing to push their boundaries all that much.  With seemingly little variation on what transpired during Container Ships or what came six years later on Piecework, it is hard to place my finger on the allure of Grievances.  I find that after just one listen to any of their releases, I soon become hooked, craving more of that familiarity with each subsequent listen.  The fact is that even the most sterile and jaded sounding of music possesses some distinct beauty still.  I would go as far as to say that this is why I am drawn so much to the band.  They are KWC and are unapologetic for being so.

In keeping with the once autonomus region of Hong Kong after which they were named, Kowloon Walled City offer a sound that nobody else quite has in their kitbag. Whilst their sludge references can most certainly draw comparison to Big Business, they are unique in that they possess the heaviest post-metal around.  Stylistically not disimilar to Whores, KWC lack that noise rock element to truly draw an accurate comparison.  The only genuine (yet still so distant) reference I can compare KWC to is Fugazi. 

Hearing those angular and strained guitars on Grievances instantly showcases the bands individualism, with the equally obtuse vocals lurching alongside those cumbersome but never ugly rhythms. There's a constant threat of something about to go down on Grievances, a sense that these grievances are very personal and quite difficult to contain.  Wrestling with them over the seven tracks is still an exhausting task as somehow for an album so devoid of any sense of exhilaration there is still a feeling of completed entertainment, long after each spin of the album has finished.  The harsh truths to tracks like Your Best Years, White Walls and True Believer land instantly without the need for any catchiness to allow them to place themselves succinctly in both palms of your hands as a listener.  This album is as black and white as the photograph on the cover would suggest it to be.