Kim Logan & the Silhouettes, a band known for their blues-bolstered rock and Southern-Gothic undertones, is marking 2025 as a year of chrysalis. With over ten years of experience wading through the dark oceans of gritty hypnotism and soulful smoke, the eclectic quintet is shaking off its shroud of familiarity and exploring new territories.
Their latest single, ‘Half Life,’ stands at the beakhead of the group’s new course, a journey swathed in enthralling trip-hop tapestries and inlaid with the ingenuity of fused futuristic alt-pop and industrial beats. A mesmeric first taste of the band’s upcoming ‘departure record,’ an album that will be released as singles throughout 2025, High Life is also the first chapter in a tale of electric, creative metamorphism.
With the accompaniment of the immeasurably talented Rex Roulette (Bob Vylan, Kaleo, Dead Sara, Eagles of Death Metal) and Dominic Davis (Jack White, Pharrell), I’m confident Kim Logan & the Silhouettes’ new sound is going to revamp the meaning of ‘hitting the ground running.’ See for yourself!
Half Life
Every note of the introductory instrumentation falls like a balletic rainstorm, and you can’t help but become immediately beguiled by the soft pattering of dreamy melancholy and sunless gentleness. But there’s another mystical quality that permeates over the texture of the track, and it becomes supercharged when Logan’s vocals rise to reinforce it. Her vocals are like merlot; they are dark, smooth, and subtly smoky, which adds beautifully to the sprigs of ethereal mysticism that the instrumental harmonies exude.
Given the inspiration for ‘Half Life,’ the track’s otherworldly timbres make a lot of sense. This track’s melody came to Kim Logan after falling asleep on one of the beautiful beaches of Belle-Île-en-Mer, a French island off the coast of Brittany. She had dreamt that a UFO had come to take her, and upon returning to Paris, Logan would go on to have that very same dream; this was the dream in which she heard the foundations of ‘Half Life.’
Knowing this, it’s not surprising that this track has an almost eerie, futuristic feel with a pulsing rhythm that makes me imagine an extraterrestrial’s lonely traversal across a vast darkness. Despite this mellifluously cosmic narrative, there’s another – much more introspective, human – story within the lyrics. Just hear that chorus: ‘The lead is in the head of you / Pouring one out for the dead with you / I felt so alive / Sittin’ on the edge with you / My body’s in the bed with you / But I’m floating high / Mmm it’s just a half life.’
These lyrics contrast the instrumentation in such a striking way, celebrating a kaleidoscope of dualities: exciting recklessness and emotional numbness, a thrilling intensity and hazy, draining emotional limbos. Much like the contrast between the instrumentals and the narrative, each dichotomy leaves you polarised, split between woe and wonder.
Weirdly enough, as the track progressed, I was reminded of ‘Paradise Circus’ by Massive Attack and Hope Sandoval. Both tracks have a dark beauty, and having listened to the band’s earlier tracks (Hint: listen to the ‘Shadow Work’ album), I love that the Silhouettes’ new sound really embraces this haunting allure. Their previous works were embellished with vivacious tempos, fire-fuelled string work, and that timeless bluesy sensuality. This evolution that we’re witnessing is a testament to Kim Logan & the Silhouettes’ versatility. Whether they’re sporting a shadowy charm or a rock-infused, untamed magnetism, Kim Logan & the Silhouettes can pull it all off.
Reminders of their previous tracks are not lost, however, as ‘Half Life’ quickly becomes galvanised by a blend of incensed electric guitar and punchy drumbeats. These bursts of powerhouse instrumental harmonies turn the initial ‘rainstorms’ we heard at the start of the track into thunderous tempests. It’s these venomous tempests that propel you toward the track’s diminuendo, which mirrors the introduction of the song perfectly, especially with the addition of those singeing static sound effects. All in all, I’ve never come across such an expertly crafted transformation before.
Source: https://kimlogansilhouettes.bandcamp.com/album/kim-logan
ALT: A black-and-white close-up of frontwoman Kim Logan as she poses with a hand over her face.
Kim Logan & the Silhouettes
Of course, Kim Logan & the Silhouettes is spearheaded by the immensely gifted wunderkind Kim Logan. Logan, who became a professional opera singer at just nine years old, brings a rare beauty to the band’s heartbeat, a beauty that reflects the best of training and talent.
The road to the quintet’s convention-burning sound started in 2018 when the Silhouette’s guitarist, Martin Zissel, introduced Logan to three musicians who had responded to an ad that the pair had posted online. After jet-setting off to Paris for some gigs, Logan would go on to meet drummer Jules Darmon, bassist/vocalist Myriam Stamoulis, and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Alexis Collard. Alongside Kim Logan and Martin Zissel, these astounding musicians found more than a place to experiment with music. They also found a family.
The undeniably unshakeable bond between Kim Logan & the Silhouettes is the backbone behind every unabashed societal criticism, every masterfully crafted melody, and every sold-out show.
‘Half Life’ is available to listen to on all major streaming platforms, and with many more spectacular singles on the way, I’d recommend keeping an eye on Kim Logan & the Silhouettes throughout the year!
Till next time!
