Mount Kimbie
Cold Spring Fault Less Youth

THE REVIEW

The Mount Kimbie are an English musical duo formed by Kai Campos and Dominic Marker. They have been active since 2008 and have released up to now six EPs and two studio albums, as well as a multitude of remixes for bands like Foals and The xx; their first full-length, Crooks and Lovers (2010, Hotflush Recordings), achieved significant success in the underground soft-electro scene both in Britain and abroad, leading them to join the roster of the renowned Warp Records.

In 2013, they released Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, an album that instantly filled the pages of magazines like PopMatters and NME with acclaim and positive reviews, celebrating the atmospheres, genuine approach, and underlying originality in the music of the London "band".

In fact, how does the music of Mount Kimbie and their second album sound? This is one of those cases where words might not suffice to describe an album/music genre.

We could mention those hypnotic and delicate synth backgrounds drawing from dance hall music and sometimes from certain noise music, but magically transforming into clouds of melody and serene sounds. But it might not be enough...

We could discuss the percussion, almost jazz, almost lounge, almost indie, almost alt-rock, almost tribal, which when talked about seems to describe a record crowded with bpm, even though it's not. But it might not be enough...

We could talk about gathering various dub, chill, and purely pop influences, which continually blend and generate smooth and refined moods. Or those vocals that occasionally appear to complete some of the songs. Vocals assertive, sometimes suffering, but foreign to chaos and in perfect harmony with the songs. But it might not be enough...

We could reflect on a production that more than that of an electronic music record, during listening, seems to bring to mind recordings made outdoors, with synthetic sounds canceling out and everything seemingly arranged live, in real-time. But once again, it might not be enough.

Cold Spring Fault Less Youth is the kind of record that if you listen to it when it's raining outside, you think the sound of the rain is part of the songs.

If Crooks and Lovers had a party soul, supported by a continuous and exuberant sampling of sounds and colors, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth is the record that takes us home after the revelry, when the party is over, it's dawn, and we are now tired of basses, DJs, and neon lights.
It's the record that evokes a bit of melancholy, but it also knows how to make us dream.
It's the record that lays us on a soft bed of light music, super light, ultra light, which is not minimal and sparse, but robust just right to accompany us during the break we've finally given ourselves.
It's the record that comes to us on tiptoe, extends a hand to us and takes us away, towards calm, towards ourselves.
Without assertiveness, without frenzy, but with the intent to make us unplug, even just for a moment, from the daily rush.

Greetings to the readers of Debaser!