Simon Kent wants to find something to believe in on the lead single from his upcoming debut album, Pillo.
The Portsmouth-based multi-instrumentalist searches for meaning through fuzzed out guitars and dreamy vocals on the aptly titled Spaced Out Refugee, a simple song featuring a catchy chorus spliced into some lazy-sounding verses.
The soft-loud, soft-loud pattern featured here worked rather well in Steve Albini's production work with The Pixies, but in the midst of this pop rock song, it fails to deliver adequately. Kent loses too much momentum every time the instruments drop out for a soft verse.
The chorus, however, is rather strong. With its shimmering sounds and lyrical references to 'breathing' and 'atmosphere', it soars with a space rock intensity, sounding a bit like the now defunct Denison Marrs. This might serve to explain why the chorus takes up half the track.
Nevertheless, Spaced Out Refugee offers great potential for Kent, who could really excel with some stronger song arrangements.
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