During the dark days of the 2020 lockdown, Kabuki Love released the ‘Psychosomatic’ EP, which featured ‘Spare Me’, a recording that dug deeply to revive a strong influence from 80s goth bands. Throughout the number, the guitars adopted the huge ringing tones of ‘Dreamtime’ era Cult, and rhythmically, everything pulled from the more commercial elements of Bauhaus to create something that felt like the ultimate throwback. In many ways, this became one of the band’s flagship tracks, capturing a toughness and a melodic edge that worked together to showcase musicians who clearly understood that things didn’t need to be overly complex to be interesting.

A follow up single ‘When Does It All Begin?’ added a grungy edge to the Kabuki Love sound, offering something that felt a little closer to peak L7, but this musical shift proved to suit Rima N.’s drawling vocals perfectly, and five years on, with ‘The Wolf Dance’, Kabuki Love have modified their sound yet again by adding garage rock tones for extra abrasiveness.

It’s another slight change that really benefits the band. By throwing out huge guitar chords by way of an opening, the track immediately advertises its harder approach. The trebly tones give the recording a pleasingly live feel, and once the rhythm guitar is underscored by a layer of distortion, the track really springs to life. Rina’s vocals have a mature tone which gives some rather sneering melodies a distinctive feel, and although they take a while to adjust to, the vocals sound strong when cutting through the wall of sound. The music is confident, but if anything really sells this track, it’s a decision to tap into a repetitive lyric which attacks almost as sharply as the music itself. While Kabuki Love don’t really break new musical ground here, genre wise, those who’ve supported the band in recent years will discover a track with a wonderfully hooky quality from musicians who seemingly have a stronger identity than before.

Take a listen below.