"We Could Be Friends, We Could Be Enemies (Addicted)" by Luna Kiss
Review
That incredibly dedicate & hard working group Luna Kiss hit us (and I don't use that term lightly) with yet another in their current top notch run of singles today: and it's their longest title to boot: "We Could Be Friends, We Could Be Enemies (Addicted)".
I think the band can be justifiably proud of their releases in 2022: building upon their solid reputation as one of the hottest live acts out there (the fact that I've seen them three times in little over a month tells you that they are not resting on their laurels but playing every chance they get to further hone their skills & win yet further fans) by creating a body of work which thanks to the joys of streaming, spreads the word about their ability to write as well as play, still wider.
There is a certain sense of panache not only in their stage presence at the moment but in the feeling that they know that they are moving up level by level with all these great singles & boy do they look like they are enjoying themselves: which again is part of their appeal & marks the out as musicians with as much an eye on the quality & integrity of the work as the commercial return. In a music business where fine calibration of target demographics and seeking models to base one's act on, this is refreshing.
And so to the song in question (available via the usual sources & you can also hear it on the current "Hot Music Live Presents" Spotify playlist), which in a way serves to emphasise the difference between having a distinctive & recognisable style (as Luna Kiss do) and descending into a formula (which they do not).
Edgier & more brittle sounding than their previous singles, there is a punk/new wave slant to the music with more trebly, staccato guitars and a more angsty lead vocal: where what has gone before often had a swagger, here we have a greater sense of unease and potential anxiety (the words of course reinforce this). Continuing the clinical theme of recent tracks, there is talk of "addiction" which is fairly unsettling in how it's delivered and at time's Wil's vocals hit the desperation button squarely on. Nevertheless, amidst all this sonic fragility & nervous energy, the song itself is actually surprisingly melodic: as if Rainbow had jumped into a time machine to 2022 and lost all their money on the way.
So there you have it: another facet to what Luna Kiss are capable of & another item to display proudly in their shop window.
I believe it's the final chapter in the current cycle of single releases (though another is apparently on its way) and if you'd like to see them live, you can see them at Alt Fest in Derby on 30th September and after a short British tour during November, at the Tin on December 3rd for a special end of year gig with limited tickets available.
