The Lunatic by Saturday’s Kids (Album)

‘The Lunatic’ marks the last stand of Welsh post-hardcore act Saturday’s Kids and sees them rising  like a great redwood

Opener Seraphim recalls the frenzied approach of the excellent METZ, as does the equally frantic I Regret You. It’s not just contemporary post-hardcore influences at play on The Lunatic though. The brilliantly named Take A Minute And Step Inside My Head And See How Fucked Up It Is In There recall Blood Brothers – but with a more vicious vocal approach – and The Icarus Line’s legendary EP The Red And Black Attack. Love Breeding even brings a touch of post-rock into the fray.

The Lunatic‘s true gems though are the final two tracks. Bone, Crystal, Ice might be the album’s shortest track, but that serves to make it Saturday’s Kids finest assault; a minute and a half of punk fury. Nora then closes with a riff that shares a passing resemblance to Smells Like Teen Spirit, before breaking into a smouldering version of Some Girls.

The only downside of this LP is that it’s both Saturday’s Kids debut and final hurrah, with the band having split up following its completion. However, post-hardcore is the domain of the criminally short life-span and with both Sunny Day Real Estate and Drive Like Jehu having burned brilliantly and quickly, The Lunatic see Saturday’s Kids among good company.

Verdict: A passing gift of post-hardcore excellence

Damien Girling

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