Album Review: Brine – Kill The Ill

Brine are a post pop punk band that formed in 2014 in Seattle, the members of Brine have spent much of the last two decades playing together in various bands and projects, the quartet that make up Brine put together a new band, importantly with a new and distinct sound and style, immediately after the dissolution of their previous two projects. They put together their first demo in the summer of 2015, and they have now released their debut album, Kill The Ill, today, 2nd December, via Inverted Kite Records.  

There are so many influences that converge on Kill The Ill that it makes this a hard album to pin down, new wave and power pop are the overriding influences but there are hints of indie, post punk and grunge in Brine‘s DNA that gives them a unique hybrid of styles. Every track is delivered with a signature darkness that is reflected both lyrically and musically, Kill The Ill never quite meets the standard set by it’s superb title track, but that track set the bar for this album so high that it would be a difficult task for any band to better it, as good as the rest of the album is I implore you to give that track a listen at the very least.

The production on Kill The Ill is thankfully minimal, the light touch behind the mix gives Kill The Ill a glorious live feel that suits the material perfectly. Brine blend nuances of punk, new wave and alternative rock into their own unique style, there are echoes of the dark style of Alkaline Trio, and given that Matt Skiba has forsaken that band for arena tours with Blink 182, I would recommend their legion of fans investigate Brine, whilst they differ stylistically from that band they harbour the same darkness at their core, and they deliver it with style.

Kill The Ill can be ordered via Inverted Kite Records Bandcamp here