Shropshire unsigned band Black Bear Kiss, Fighting Our Corner - EP review

Shropshire lads Black Bear Kiss have been dropping a stream of singles these past couple of years, and have stepped up a level with this debut EP.

Also containing original material, the former The Ticket Unsigned act give us five tracks of funk-infused guitar rock that will certainly get feet tapping.

It's recorded, mixed and mastered by Wolverhampton-born tech whizz Gareth 'Gazz' Rogers in his current premises over the Welsh border, and the finished product sounds crisp and clean.

Of the singles, Follow Me is a rock/rap hybrid that features Birmingham rapper Leo Golden Child on guest vocals. it has to be said his and frontman Chris Leech's vocal styles sound at odds throughout, but the party atmosphere of the track is a winner with its nicely scratched guitars holding sway.

Their debut single Hooks features with its charging melodies. This is like some of those chart topping indie bands of the 00s - The Fratellis or The Zutons immediately spring to mind. Much of that is due to the dancing bass of Wolverhampton's Rich Sach. In Sach they have a talented musician who gives the music some added oomph which lifts it above a lot of their contemporaries.

This is front and centre in that deliciously tangy intro to Secret Side - their third single appearing on the EP. A devilishly dark break-down for the pre-chorus adds a feeling of danger before it is gloriously dispelled for a soaring vocal harmony during the sing-along chorus.

Opening number Cutting Corners is one of the new releases for this record and is softer. Again it relies heavily on the bass of Sach to carry it, but the jagged guitar of Rob Jones (Shrewsbury) and Walsall's Colin Haden is also a welcome component in the mire.

The title track is another newbie and again dances along the crossed paths of funk and rock. It sounds like an 80s crime caper theme tune throughout much of its journey, the let-it-all-out chorus similar in vibe to Secret Side.

The clean cutting does veer a little close to safe pub rock at times. But as they grow and develop they could have some crunching funk-rock vibes in their future arsenal.

Rating: 6/10

Black Bear Kiss launch the EP with a show at Kidderminster's The Boar's Head tomorrow, backed up by another former The Ticket Unsigned band Future Fires. They then support After The Midnight at Birmingham's O2 Academy on March 8, before playing a slot at Shropfest on July 27.