On their first full-length since 2015’s Grievances, the four-piece have subtly tweaked their sound, this time around focusing on eerie melodic motifs and stretches of tension-filled negative space. Each of Kowloon Walled City’s three previous full-lengths saw them carefully hack away at the sonic palette of the album that came before, toning down the distortion, restraining the intensity and drawing out the maximum possible tension from their angular, anguished songs.
Piecework furthers this development leaning onto the math rock side of Kowloon Walled City’s musical identity. To be clear – their take on math rock is closer to the viscous, sinister early work in the genre by Slint or Unwound rather than the gentle, intricate melodies of say Toe or TTNG. The chiming dual guitar riffs of ‘Oxygen Tent’ or ‘You Had A Plan’ are spidery and sinewy, creating creepy atmospheres undercut with a feeling of deep introverted pain. The expressionistic lyrics further evoke this unusual and oblique emotional tenor. ‘Oxygen Tent’ talks of “small gods descending”, while the title track features a brilliantly poetic line – “stars shine through tin on plaster”.
The crypticism of Piecework’s lyrics reflects the bottled-up, almost inaccessible tension of Kowloon Walled City’s music. The tracks stop and start, the riffs hit angular notes, the vocals are yelled yet are still visibly sad. The quiet lulls in tracks like ‘Splicing’ and ‘Lampblack’ are indicative of this commitment to tension, which at times becomes almost frustrating, though evidently intentionally so. In doing this, Kowloon Walled City hit upon a genuinely unique emotional register. A lot of bands try to replicate these sensations, yet rarely do any do it with this level of vigour and honesty. Frustration is a common social malaise right now, so to have Kowloon Walled City back and channelling these concerns is not just a pleasure but practically vital.