Kyle Falconer is best known as the lead vocalist of Scottish indie rockers The View. He releases his fourth solo album ‘Lovely Night of Terror’ this month. I have to say I really warmed to this guy after watching a documentary in 2023 called `Love and Chaos` which shared Kyle and his fiancé Laura’s personal journey, exploring how the challenges and sacrifices of parenthood continued to shape them as a couple. It touched on Kyle`s battles with mental health issues, substance abuse and how being a Father had changed him.
The title track ‘Lovely Night of Terror’ leads us in and it`s a brief strummed, amusing, and ironic ditty. The upbeat ‘Worlds Away’ features internet personality, singer, songwriter and larger than life personality Justin Hawkins best known as the founder, lead singer, and lead guitarist of The Darkness. It’s such an uplifting song that I can imagine playing this really loud driving along on a Summer`s day with the windows down.
‘I’m Lost (You’re Dead)’ is another inspiring pop song with Liverpudlian singer, songwriter, and musician Jamie Webster trading vocals on this reflective offering. Rising indie pop stars Lottery Winners add a sparkle to the bouncing rhythmic ‘Lady Coachella’ with lyrics that are despatched at a rapid pace as if their lives depended on it.
We have a song about the idiom describing an uncanny, effortless ability to make money or succeed in every venture with ‘Midas Touch’ which features Peter Doherty best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. The number is a dance pop outing in the same vein as Wham`s 1984 top ten hit `Everything She Wants`. There`s a real shimmer to ‘Madness’ which has Dave McCabe singer, songwriter, guitarist, and frontman of The Zutons adding his rich vocals to this energetic anthemic submission.
‘Trace of Me’ is a little more contemplative as it rolls along but still retains that pop like twinkle, I thought the guiding percussive beat added so much to this tune. There`s a real dreaminess to ‘Can’t Swim (Do It Again)’ which offers a positive spin on negative vibes.
‘Ego’ is rousing and impassioned and i`m sure would go down a storm in a live setting. The rhythmic ‘Martha’s Imagination’ is a real foot tapper and appears to be about the desire for forbidden fruit, relationship wise.
The album closes with ‘Third Time Mucky’ a musically vibrant composition about the yearning or longing to finally succeed physically with that person who really floats your boat.
It says a lot about Mr Falconer that he can call upon renowned artists such as Peter Doherty, Dave McCabe, Justin Hawkins, Jamie Webster, and The Lottery Winners to add their talents to his latest opus. While ‘Lovely Night of Terror’ won`t win any Pulitzer prices for its lyrical content, it`s a delightful and inspirational pure infectious indie pop offering that will have you up shouting and singing along as well as jumping and dancing around.
I`ve said this before but I love the rich and enticing Scottish brogue or Dundee dialect which Kyle possesses.
He doesn`t fake an American accent like others do and that for me makes him fairly unique.
‘Lovely Night of Terror’ is made for playing loud on those hot Summer days and nights, as Queens of the Stone Age sang this should become , in my opinion, the feel good hit of the Summer.
Rating 9/10
