Chicago's Kinky Love share exclusive stream of Love Label EP

22 October 2015, 11:15 | Written by Jon Putnam

(News)

(Kinky Love)

Just like in 1985, the synthpop contingent nowadays is a crowded corner in the pop/rock room, with many acts seeming a dime a dozen not only against their peers but also their forbears from decades earlier.

Credit Chicago trio Kinky Love for spying the need to ratchet up their songwriting on their newest EP, Love Label, premiering today.

On their previous string of inter-EP singles, which we had featured as Songs Of The Day, Kinky Love exhibited a sweetly and suavely alluring example of the genre, highlighted by Xoe Wise's seductive vocals.

Evidently seeing the need for expanding those admittedly safe borders, the group grew more fully into their nascent trio setup and have pushed their sound to a place beyond their original cushy confines:

"We think the Love Label EP is a true evolution of Kinky Love. We've learned a lot about how to work as a trio, and made some changes to our writing process, and the result was darker and more mysterious music.

"Working on the Slowdive cover [Love Label's "Dagger"] especially helped us focus just on our sound, leaving the songwriting aside."

From the off, the EP's title track beefs up the percussion and builds its melody around a dissonant shard of guitar that neatly creates a tug of war with the trio's typical plush keyboards and Wise's soulful singing.

The trend carries through the EP to closer "Dagger"s languid, dream-pop ambience befitting of its original artist that would have previously sat coolly alongside their previous work but consitutes yet another point of variety here on Love Label.

Stream Love Label exclusively below and purchase through all digital retailers beginning 23 October.