The hyper-talented DJ and producer returns with his ninth solo album, and his resume is a fascinating story of an artist exploring any avenue that will scratch his creative itch. From the board game accompanying the new record to his Music to Draw To series of ambient works, Kid Koala has had no shortage of inventiveness.
On Creatures of the Late Afternoon, the Canadian producer finds the sweet spot – both stuffing every nook and cranny with his quintessential scratching and humour and offering the audience a straighter road to follow across the album. While his past work has at times been overwhelmingly frantic and busy – here, we see Kid Koala striking the difficult balance of leaning on his core skill set and giving the listener a groove they can sink their teeth into.
Sure, we've still got moments of robots talking to each other and samples pulled from the deep aisles of the bizarre, but this time he's found an equilibrium. Creatures of the Late Afternoon is Kid Koala's most complete and accessible record, offering a relentless lineup of lively and compact songs with rough and raw rock 'n' roll guitar and drum loops.
There's a lot in here. Spanning twenty songs, there are several different shades and seasons to explore. On the one hand, there are the no-frills jam sessions of "The Frequencies" and "Things Are Gonna Change," where you can imagine the sticky floor in your local pub under your feet as you watch a jam band full of energy. But on the other hand, tucked in between these moments of fun, are the edgy exhales of tunes like "The Cards" and "Decades". These moody flashes hadn't ever been fully fleshed out on past albums, but here Kid Koala shows a refreshing dedication to committing to this sound on multiple songs.
We also see clever song-making moments, as heard on tracks like "When You Say Love" – bringing forward a strong vocal melody hook that dances on top of a swing drum pattern. The longest tune on the album comes towards the end, as the epic "Rise Of The Tardigrades" roars and rips for over four minutes. It sounds like Crystal Method's "Name of the Game" littered with samples and tricks, coming to an astonishing climax bursting with energy.
The album is loaded with head-nodding vibes and carefree moments. Where Kid Koala's past albums have been scattered and demanded the listener's attention, today we find him creating the recipe for a holistic piece of art, where each ingredient is carefully measured and mixed. There are detour moments that could be removed, but when he needs to get the strange out of his system, Kid Koala creates short 1-minute songs like “Pa$$wErdD” and “Renaissance of Reconnaissance” instead of dragging them unnecessarily across the entire album.
Creatures of the Late Afternoon is a significant evolution since his seminal work Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, showcasing an impressive restraint of oversaturating us with dizzying samples and flashy turntablism and instead focusing on letting the music speak for itself.
