Kill the Lights

Coming from the hotbed of Canada’s music scene is doing wonders for pretty much every band since the advent of the Arcade Fire. Just the mere mention of Montreal gives goosebumps to some music hounds and Kill the Lights seem like the kind of band who would certainly benefit from a namedrop of their hometown and associations with certain bands. This unsigned quintet have the style and look to pull off success and judging by the sound of their debut album, Winter Asthmatics, they have the right arty instinct that has found an unlikely spot in the mainstream. On the same page as neighbours the Stills — pristine and radiant guitars, mid-tempo rock songs and a handful of pop hooks — Kill the Lights aren’t afraid to break away from the moody mould to show a little emotion, something a lot of graduates from the Echo and the Bunnymen’s school of gloomy post-punk seem to miss. "Secular Beginnings, Hideous Mess” reaches the heights of punk with its speedy count and Alex Hackett’s refreshing yelp and "Palest Form of Sabotage” speeds its way through a heavy seven-minute running time with nary a yawn. You can almost hear the labels lining up to wine and dine this impressive young band.