THE KILLS
God Games (Domino)
Once they had finished touring in 2019, Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince started work on what would become the sixth Kills album. With their creative flow disrupted by the pandemic, and their mental health challenged, to stay afloat and keep motivated Hince encouraged Mosshart to write using a cheap keyboard whilst he experimented with aural textures. God Games is the end result, and The Kills’ most defined, emotive and aurally rich sounding album yet.
Its songs question mortality and relationships, with Mosshart’s voice becoming as beautifully vigorous as those of Debbie Harry or Chrissie Hynde: Blank, Going To Heaven and LA Hex are each fine example of this. Hince, meanwhile, seamlessly fuses together guitar abrasiveness with electronic dub and warped r’n’b flourishes throughout. God Games is undoubtedly the sound of The Kills wearing their hearts on their sleeves, while simultaneously enhancing a sound they confidently own.
words DAVID NOBAKHT