“My eyes are bloodshot, and I’ve seen it all before.”
The term “electronicore” has carried equal amounts of love and trepidation as its years of existence have passed. Some artists incorporate it seamlessly into their sound, and others shoehorn it in as an afterthought. It goes without saying that electronicore legends Enter Shikari fit into the former category. They’ve built up an impressive discography of bombastic records which have made them a household name for fans of rock adjacent genres. And luckily for us, they’re continuing to this day with their upcoming album, A Kiss for the Whole World.
Enter Shikari have been around for almost longer than I’ve been able to appreciate electronic-induced post-hardcore. I became a fan during the A Flash Flood of Colour era, which probably makes me a late bloomer in a lot of people’s eyes, but it has been a joy to get quality release after release since then. All albums since then have been one of my favourites of their respective years – whether 2020’s Nothing is True and Everything is Possible, The Spark (2017), and The Mindsweep (2014). All of these records are different yet largely activate the same parts of my brain. Tracks range from piano ballads to mosh inducing heavier cuts. What is consistent is vocalist Rou Reynold’s epic and passionate performances. That has remained true for the better part of two decades now, and endures with A Kiss for the Whole World.
Reynolds is on record stating that they wanted to ‘make a high energy album of bangers’ and that that sentiment was very much built on their return to playing live shows via Download Pilot after a long hiatus due to coronavirus. That lead to a desire to output exasperation and jubilation within the track listing, and I think this album does a good job to make that obvious up front. It starts with the title track, unusually, and I think it’s a strong start. The synth is punchy, flying at the listener, and the accent of soft horns creates a cool juxtaposition. Then there’s “(pls) set me on fire” which was the first taste from the album. With a synth that is once again upbeat and cuts through to the listener, accompanied by guitarlines which take a more metered, beatdown approach, the track definitely supports Rou‘s mindset for writing this album. The chorus is short and to the point, taking a back seat and instead serving as a lead into the frenzied verses that were advertised.
While the first two tracks are solid, ‘solid’ ultimately sums them up. They’re unmistakably Enter Shikari, with little in the way of innovation they’re known for. “It Hurts” is similar, but an improvement; the electronics here are more varied, including a consistent almost ‘sigh’ noise that adds a lot of texture. Welcome vocal additions from bassist Chris Batten add further depth. Then, halfway through, the band does what they do best and explode into a heavy, echoey electronic breakdown. If Rou was looking for bangers to play live, this should undoubtedly be one. I think the verses could’ve done a better job of keeping the energy up, as they take a more hip-hop approach, however.
Continuing down the track list, “Leap into the Lightning” has a more pop-punk skeleton to it, which strips some appeal but adds even more catchiness. The electronics here, especially on the first third, are engaging, and Rou’s experimentation with multiple styles makes his vocals all the more engaging. Its existence is warranted by the following cut, “feed your soul”, which, though essentially just an interlude, is a great combination of trance and drum and bass. Enter Shikari are known to incorporate transitionary pieces multiples times within their albums, and I’ve seen people berate this as fluff, or pointless. I’ve always fought against that. They always have enough pure songs to fill out the tracklist, but the interludes go above and beyond to make straight listens of their albums an even better, full experience.
Another thing that Enter Shikari often does is the use of additional instrumental accompaniments, such as horns as we’ve seen, or strings like in “Dead Wood”. But instead of an accent onto guitar driven rock, this cut has the strings as the main instrumental. Rou also has a top tier performance here, with a constant emotional output on the vocal front. As a fan, I enjoyed the lyric “where nothing is true” as a nod to the title of their last album. The back half of the song is a great climactic experience with Rou repeating “I want to feel the way you feel”. The band are no strangers to epic, grandiose sections within their albums and this is no exception.
The rest of A Kiss for the Whole World is very listenable, but a bit unremarkable. Between “Jailbreak”, “Bloodshot”, and “goldfish”, I think “goldfish” has the most going for it. It is lyrically metaphoric and poetic on multiple fronts. I also like how the verses are so aggressive and confrontational whilst the chorus is bright and cheery in tone. Lyrics such as “you are the goldfish, I am the bowl” within the chorus are also antagonistic, another angle in which the cheery tone is pointedly ironic. These things make the track a good listening experience, combined with another great vocal performance by Reynolds.
The album closes a bit unceremoniously as it continues the aquatically natured titles in “Giant Pacific Octopus (I don’t know you anymore)” and “giant pacific octopus swirling off into infinity…”. For the former, I thought it was funny how it starts with Rou saying “I’m a chameleon” as a bit of a fake out before going the octopus route. Standing alone, the track is three choruses and two short verses. Combining in the closing epilogue track, it seems a more realized cut, but I think one more great song at the end would’ve added a lot to the album’s overall listening experience as the truly standout cuts are condensed largely to its middle section.
A Kiss for the Whole World is an Enter Shikari album, through and through; it may not go down as one of the group’s greatest, nor a frontrunner of the sound they themselves have pioneered, but it retains everything that makes Enter Shikari so enjoyable. If the band wanted to fill out their live show setlist options, then I think they succeeded. I find myself wishing there was a little more meat on the bones on multiple fronts, however. I love the band for all that they do and for how over the top they go, and I think this release is a bit more down to earth. The album must be aptly titled, then.
7/10
A Kiss for the Whole World releases this Friday, April 21st, via Interscope Records/Ambush Reality, and you can pre-order it here.