Kiros
A Single Strand
Ticket-less and pretty much stranded, a friend and I strolled around a gas station near the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA where day one of the second annual Bamboozle Left festival would be held. Much to the comparison of some indie movie involving 2 adventurous teens, my friend and I unknowingly stumbled upon a van withholding sleeping bandmates from the Canadian rock quartet, Kiros.
After having a pretty enlightening conversation with frontman/bassist Barry MacKichan, we parted ways only to meet up several times again during the festival. Here, my friend and I got to meet more of the band and take a listen to a bit of their newest album, A Single Strand, which I evidently couldn’t resist because I ended up buying a copy and am listening to it NON STOP!
A Single Strand is an eclectic mix of catchy pop rock tunes supplying the perfect dose of memorable choruses with compassionate ballads. One thing I have to fully respect about this record is the ease of which it transitions from genre to genre. Taking a song from punk to a piano ballad isn’t easy, but Kiros are definitely pros at the art. I also appreciate the underlying message throughout the album: displaying hope and faith through struggles. Some personal favorites off the record are “Alone Tonight”, “Speak Softly”, “Dear Michigan”, “Lying Sure Beats Shaving Your Legs”, and the all so epic tear-jerkers, “This May Not Cause Pain” and “The Reprise”. — Kim Johnson
For Fans Of: Armor For Sleep, Boys Night Out and Taking Back Sunday