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In 2017, life long friends, Ken Bousquet and Chris Jackson, wanted to create a project to continue making music in the Boston area. After the addition of Aria Rad and Mike Barone, K.C.U.F was fully realized and is shorthand for Ken and Chris’s Undecided Franchise. It is aptly named, because it is hard to put this band into a single genre box and this allows them to explore a variety of different sounds. After previously reviewing their release, Every Day is Winter Here, I jumped at the chance to deep dive into their latest LP, 100 Poses.
The first track, “Slow Down”, is the “It” track for me on this LP. It immediately sucked me in and I probably listened to it a half dozen times before finally moving on to the next one. The song starts slow and somber; building gradually until it blasts off in the second verse. It is a beautiful narrative about one’s healing journey. Seriously, this song is so well written that I couldn’t even narrow it done to a single line to quote. You will just have to listen and digest it for yourself. As someone who recently decided to stop being stubborn and go to therapy, this track resonates in my bones. It’s easy to overlook your accomplishments while continuing your progress when you are constantly comparing it to the past.
Following this first jab, comes a melodic right hook to your ears with “Love Your Lies, Pt. 2”. It’s seemingly about going to the ends of the earth to please someone and losing yourself in the process. The harmonies in this track are perfection and will have you singing, “Let’s just call it a loss. It sure ain’t victory” at random times throughout your day. At this point, I’m very curious if (and how) they will maintain this emotional level of intensity throughout the album. They set the bar very high from jump.
Fear not. They continue to thunder along, though “PFB” gives us a moment to catch our breath with its opening. There is a deep vulnerability to this song about anxiety. And my god…. that piano!!! I’m a sucker for some keys so that addition during the instrumental segment was gorgeous. Then when you intertwine that sound with the profound harmonies in the chorus at the end – you get a perfectly polished song.
The journey ends in a similar fashion as it began with “Suffocated”. The bass lines are heavy and delicious as we are ushered in. Lyrically, this entire album is one of the best that I have heard in a while, but the most haunting bars reside within the poetry of this song. “The strongest bonds I’ve ever had to break, were the ones that I was the happiest to make. I’m stuck inside the comfiest of cells, it’s the one that i made for myself.”
Overall, 100 Poses by K.C.U.F. feels deeply personal and it overflows with emotion. To say that I’ve been listening on repeat since first hearing it would be a huge understatement. In fact, as I was writing this album review, I was effortlessly singing along without even realizing it. That’s the mark of a great release.
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Breezy McMullen is the Editor in Chief at PA and Find Out. In addition to her duties there, she is also a co-owner of Allegedly Records and a founding member of the international co-op, Scene to Scene. When she’s not herding children or musicians, you can find her in the woods or on a lake getting stoned…. probably.