Peace - Kindness is the new rock n' roll. Album review

Kindness is the new rock n' roll begins with 'Power', which is the kind of swaggering rock n roll song that makes it hard to see why Peace have been pushed aside for their lesser contemporaries, and that unlike many of those contemporaries Peace are a proper rock n' roll band through and through.
The title track of this album is an example of what Peace have always done best, taking a simple idea and ramping it up until it's as epic as possible. what could have otherwise been a simple acoustic ballad is given gospel choirs, Hammond organ and even a hacksaw, to accompany Harry Koissers' "peace.. do you know what mean?" hook until it resembles a sort of odd cross between 'Morning Glory era Oasis and Mercury Rev. The main flaw of the first half of this album is that much like their previous two it feels like a dip through the discographies of other artists. 'Silverlined' is an upbeat Ed Sheeran-ish acoustic ditty, at least until Doug rips into it with a massive guitar solo. 'You don't walk awawy from love' is another swaggering indie rocker, with all the charisma that people miss from Oasis yet with a beating heart and soul that makes it far more endearing than one of Noel Gallagher's surreal platitudes.
'Kindness...' takes a complete 180 with the albums 5th track and opening teaser track ' from under liquid glass. This is Peace at their most stripped back, as Harry Koisser is backed by simple chords, piano and a drum machine. The songs from this point on sound more like a Harry Koisser solo album than a new Peace record. Here we find Harry recalling 'lying in my empty room on my broken bed...left alone with my big fucking mental head. While such honesty about mental health is common from indie darlings such as Courtney Barnett and Car Seat Headrest or underground heroes such as Crwank or Luke Rainsford. In 2018 it's still rare to find a major rock band like Peace writing about depression so bluntly. Not much later on Harry is begging the listener to not give up on him yet as one day he will be 'Magnificent'. 'Angel' is a similarly sparse ballad that may be the most, gorgeous love ballad peace have written. While early albums found Peace naive and in love with the idea of love itself.
'Angel' finds Harry singing about wanting to protect and cherish the love of his life, as he matures as both a songwriter and a person. 'Shotgun Hallelujah' is another swaggering rock n' roll tune, but it's the final tracks 'just a ride' and 'choose love' that pack the bigger emotional punch. the latter promising that 'someday you will be king if you can make it out the slime'.
For all the heartbreak that Peace have been through, they conclude that not only is 'Kindness the new rock 'n roll, love is also the salvation that we sometimes need.

I need a hand to hold today, five fingers that won't slip away
In a world that can be so cruel, love is vital

Choose love, choose life, today, tonight
No fear, no pain, no hate, no shame

8/10