Kid Acne - Romance Ain't Dead Album Review

Kid Acne
Romance Ain't Dead
Album Review

Following the spate of bands taking pride in their regional accents, even (shudder) The Twang's brummy whining making it big; Kid Acne's emergence from the underground hip-hop scene couldn't have been better timed, because he's Sheffield and proud of it, right down to his 'suit your sens' delivery.

It's not the accent though, that makes his delivery more than a touch irritating. Rather, the forced wackiness is what makes this a struggle, with a few moments of inspiration doing little to disguise vast swathes of mediocrity, a la Goldie Lookin' Chain.

It's a shame, because he does prove himself to be adept in the beats department, the first two tracks 'Eddy Fresh' and 'Oh No You Didn't' both have lively guitar backings, the former in a rather more unpredictable and interesting style. The vocal delivery is a bit too grating for them to be successes, though.

That said, in small doses, it is an entertaining listen, particularly lead-off single 'Worst Luck' with the impressive line "I've got two phones like a drug dealer". Unfortunately, moments like this are cancelled out by fingernails-down-a-blackboard tracks like 'FCUK All Lately', which most sane people would hate from the title alone.

Overall, approach this album with caution, unless of course you're a GLC fan (read: mental)

Ben Davis