Gig & EP Review: Khaki Cuffs From Newark, DE.

Written by: Mitchell Daneker and Hallie Teitelbaum

Edited by: Maddie McVey

It was like any other Friday night: cool, dark, and fairly quiet. We made our way to a new and modest venue known as “House of Mouse,” where we were greeted by a crowd of music lovers and party goers alike. Three bands entertained us that night. One band in particular,

Khaki Cuffs, is well known around the University of Delaware for their roaring and often brash sound. Their sound is very punk oriented, though it misses key aspects that make a band great. During the show, the vocals were almost entirely drowned out by the booming guitars and drum kit. The crowd did not seem to mind though, as they fell into a mosh pit throwing themselves around while enjoying the music. The sounds emanating from the speakers were beautiful in a rough and rhythmic nature. As guitarists ourselves, we appreciated the way their songs were composed, with edgy chords and short and well-played solos. The louder the instruments sang, the more the venue swelled with the sweat from dancing wildly - building an atmosphere that enhanced the sound of the music.

Because the vocals were mostly overpowered by instrumentals during their set, we later

took it upon ourselves to listen to Khaki Cuffs digitally and get a better idea of their sound. We first noticed that they have an impressive variety of songs and EP’s available for streaming. We began by listening to their latest EP, I Am Nothing, which proved the band capable of stylistic and solid instrumentals. However, in regards to what their music was missing, we were again dissatisfied by the vocals: underwhelmed by their quality, but overwhelmed by their potent aggression. While aggressive voicing is not only welcomed, but often expected in this punk sub-genre, we found the lack of contrast in the vocals boring and ineffective. What often makes harsh vocal delivery so powerful are the more melodic vocals in contrast to them. Our overarching conclusion on the band Khaki Cuffs is that they play it safe. Their instrumental work is fairly standard for the genre, and their vocals are monotone in their variety. As far as their lyrics pan out, they too are modest and predictable for the sound they are attempting to capture. Our suggestion for listeners is that they are a lot of fun to listen to live, but you may struggle with some of their sounds on a coffee break or taking a daily run.

I Am Nothing - EP by Khaki Cuffs

https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-am-nothing-ep/1480177760