The verses are built on a tightrope of tension, almost spoken-word in delivery, low and controlled, as if Jack Wilson is talking directly to the mirror. It’s confessional without melodrama, measured but loaded. The lyrics aren’t cryptic. They’re clear-eyed and plain-spoken: “I’m not made of stainless steel.” It hits even harder because it’s not shouted. It’s admitted.
Then comes the chorus, washed in distortion, moody and melodic, with a Nirvana-esque wall of sound that swells and releases all that pent-up pressure. The guitars come in waves, not fireworks, and the band’s decision to hold back rather than explode gives the whole track a dark, magnetic pull. It’s heavy without being loud. Angry without being unkind.
What makes this release land so deeply is the context. It’s the first since the departure of guitarist Ben Beetham and drummer George MacDonald, two core parts of the Kid Kapichi engine. That loss echoes in the song’s sparseness. The band aren’t racing to replace the noise. They’re sitting in the quiet. They’re choosing to process.
Wilson’s lyricism is striking, not in metaphor or flourish, but in how it captures the fog of depression with clarity. Written during a particularly dark period, he says listening back feels like receiving advice from a past version of himself. That sentiment laces through the entire track. ‘Stainless Steel’ doesn’t offer answers. But it offers honesty, and sometimes that’s enough.
Kid Kapichi sound more exposed here, not just musically, but emotionally. And that evolution doesn’t just feel deliberate; it feels necessary. There’s still grit in the riffs, but now it’s paired with gravity. If this is a glimpse of where they’re heading next, it’s an exciting shift, proof that slowing down doesn’t mean stepping back.
As they gear up for a sold-out underplay tour this autumn, the band are clearly entering a new phase, and they’re doing it on their own terms. No bravado, no polish. Just the raw truth.
FFO: Nirvana, IDLES, The Blinders
THE FRONT ROW 
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