New KALEIDOSCOPE 7" EP written/recorded March/April 2020 at D4MT LABS. Follow up to the AFTER THE FUTURES LP (2019) — this is a 5 track EP. 13 min, 33 rpm 7", pressing of 750. Our take: At Sorry State we’ve sung Kaleidoscope’s praises for several years now. Every record they release satisfies and surprises us, and Decolonization is no different. Three of these five tracks ply Kaleidoscope’s usual trade of hardcore punk elevated by intricate rhythms and brilliant guitar work, and they’re as ripping and memorable as anything the band has put out so far. However, as with “Scorched Earth” on their 2017 EP on D4MT Labs, there are a couple of outliers. I’ve always sensed a Hendrix quality to Kaleidoscope guitarist Shiva’s playing, and on “Girmitiya,” they lean into the slinky, sexy (!!!) vibe of Hendrix’s more sensual songs, with a stretched-out, lazy groove and breathy vocals that sound like nothing any other punk bands on my radar are doing. Then there’s the closing track, “One Drop // Blood Quantum,” which starts off with fast hardcore but transitions into a gripping breakdown to end the record. It’s crazy that a record this good is par for the course, but such is the case with Kaleidoscope.
