Kina

Reviews

Kina Nessuno Schema Nella Mia Vita LP reissue

It’s a beautiful thing to get a note from a band member fondly recalling the submission of their demo tape to Tim Yo back in ’84, and then to receive an LP reissue thirty-five years later, and it’s still great! In my experience, KINA hasn’t quite enjoyed the bootleg t-shirt success like their contemporaries WRETCHED or NEGAZIONE, but whenever I revisit this self-recorded debut (or the Irreale RealtÁ  LP), it’s evident that they were an equal force in the pantheon of classic ’80s Italian (or even general European) hardcore. This session is KINA at their most primitive, which unlike WRETCHED is slightly more…musical? Their tendency to break the hardcore template reminds me other interesting-while-still-ripping bands like CONTRAZIONE or STINKY RATS. This is a worthwhile reissue in a time when many, arguably, are not.

Kina Cercando… LP reissue

This is quite the deluxe reissue of a very interesting, sometimes challenging record by one of Italian hardcore’s most long-lived and musically adventurous bands. By the time this, their second album, was recorded in 1986, the band had toured quite a bit through Europe, adding both the emerging crossover sound and the distinctive sounds of continental bands like BGK to their growing sonic palette. The resulting album includes vicious thrash metal, moments of distinctly Greek-sounding post-punk bark, Revolution Summer-style vocal harmonies over proto-emo jangle, and even some good old hardcore punk stuff. More than any other record I’ve heard, this encapsulates the mindset of the Italian hardcore scene going into 1987, a pivotal year that saw many of the key bands either break up or dramatically change their sound. This isn’t just a historical curiosity though, it’s a complicated record that fans of punk’s more historically out there bands (think SNFU) would absolutely adore. The packaging includes complete reproductions of the original sleeve and insert, an extra insert with English translations, and a CD of the album.

Kina Irreale Realtà LP reissue

Hailing from the far northwestern corner of Italy, Aosta’s KINA formed in 1982 inside the blast radius of the first Italian hardcore wave, but began releasing records close enough to the mid-’80s HÜSKER DÜ/SST/ARTICLES OF FAITH/RITES OF SPRING-styled bending of the confines of strict hardcore rules that the raw energy and unpredictable creativity of Italian hardcore combines with a wide, untamed flange guitar sound and complex musical arrangements that here only hint at the expansive incorporation of influences of folk music and unexpected instrumentation that would later mark their fifteen year career. Irreale Realtà (“Unreal Reality”), this three-piece’s fifteen-song debut LP, was originally self-released in 1985, and hung around a melodic core, but was and is very much a savage hardcore record with pummeling, speedy thrash that sparks and rages like the best moments of early Italian hardcore. Caustic vocals shouted in Italian hurl angry missives towards authority and power, but the lyrics are also inwardly reflective, personal, and thoughtful. This reissue reprints the original Italian inserts, but sadly not the English translations from the original export editions. It also comes in a much thicker (and less ringwear ready!) cover compared to the original, with clearer, slightly larger reproductions of the artwork, and has a more balanced remastering where the music levels out with the vocals and has a bit more depth and clarity. This makes it sound “better” overall, but also a little less sloppy and unhinged, as the extreme vocals less forcefully dominate the recording, but everything balances a bit more. It’s a good place to start if you’ve either never heard the band, or a refreshing enough update that it’s worth a visit even if you already own the original. The last two tracks on each side are live in Berlin in 1984, and shed some of the sheen that the flange guitar gives the studio recording for wild effluence of melody, shouted vocals, and high energy blasting. Though the replacement of Kina’s Blu Bus label’s classic slogan, “self-production and self-management as tools for communication and antagonistic experiences” (an idea that I think KINA tried to live by as much as promote other people to do) by a barcode underlines a reality of late 2010’s punk rock. But an otherwise well-done and great reissue!

Kina Troppo Lontano EP

Three cuts here: the title track being the best of the cuts, an impassioned, melodic, mid-tempo punk number with some acoustic guitar work. On the flip are two powerful, speedcore bashers with complex structures. A good 7″.

Kina Irreale Realtà LP

Hot Italian buzzbomb laced with metallic thrash-paced guitar whines and changes in tempo running to and fro. High-speed stuff that doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, with swift vocals, yet musically it offers a variance like HÜSKER DÜ. Overall production is low, but the music delivers potential goods. KINA are quick and effective, with enough pops to grow into big stuff.