Album Review: Malakai – ‘Ugly Side of Love’

Bristol-based Malakai are on Portishead main-man Geoff Barrow’s Invada label. And they certainly share some of Portishead’s 60s soul influences. But don’t let that fool you.

This is pretty middle of the road stuff, with rattling Phil Spector drums bouncing off spaced out surf guitar and clipped clapping.

Lead singer Gee sounds a bit like Finley Quaye, only less distinctive.

It sort of comes together on the psychedelic ‘Only For You’, but otherwise Malakai can’t live up to their influences.

 The press release claims that they sound “like the apocalypse itself”. Only if the world ends with a whimper, not a bang.