The Brighton band’s new EP lands on May 19th.

Opus Kink are one of those bands that are truly hard to compare to any of their contemporaries: the Brighton-based sextet’s bizarrely unique sound has certainly made the band a favourite of many in the last few years. This was especially the case with the band’s 2022 EP ‘Til the Stream Runs Dry – an absolute delight that is filled with must-listen-to tracks. It was one that showed us that Opus Kink are the type of band that wants to obscure the line between genres and influences and expectations. Now a new year, the band have released 1:18; the first peek of the upcoming EP release. 

1:18 is the textbook definition of a delightful and dark slow-burner; it takes its time with the sounds of an unnerving synth and the vocals of Angus Rogers hauntingly entering the song. Angus is soon accompanied by a continuously intensifying drumbeat, slowly rising in volume as the vocalist seems to go into a sudden frenzy of estranged vowels and peculiar lyrics (See: “And where my wagers squat, strain for ascension, for a mention in your bloody black book”).

We get the slow-burn payoff in the form of the abrupt break into a chorus of chaos and anarchy; beautifully strung together. It’s an absolute sensation to behold – almost to the point of overstimulation – and a grand mixture of tempos, licks, and styles. Of course, being an Opus Kink song, the signature use of a crazed brass section in the form of trumpets and saxophones have become the band’s trademark and are introduced into the track, producing another wonderfully post-punkish, yet jazz and funky combination. 

Upon the meaning of their newest release, the band states: “This is a song about letting your hair down and finding peace in the unreasonable squalid indifference of the universe… You do you, hun!”. Rather fitting for a band that excels in the occupation of chaos.

The My Eyes, Brother! EP is landing on May 19th via Nice Swan Records.