Album Review: ‘Almost Home’ – Keston Cobblers Club

Keston Cobblers Club are back with new album Almost Home, which is the follow-up to 2015’s critically acclaimed Wildfire.

There has been a lot of pressure on the quintet to repeat their success, so it’s pleasing to note that Almost Home is just as good, if not better.
For those unaware of the music that KCC make, it’s probably best described as being a cross between modern guitar pop and traditional folk. Elements of both genres are there, and it’s a nice mix of styles that the group have combined to create their own unique sound. For the most part it’s very joyful music, with an anthemic quality that’s never too much.

Listeners may recognise some similarities to other modern folk bands such as Mumford & Sons, but there’s a ‘realness’ here that the Mumford boys sadly don’t have. The songs on Almost Home are beautiful and stir the soul, all while managing to avoid the innate cheesiness that other acts from this genre often find hard to shake off.
Most of the songs are fairly upbeat, but there are some slower ones, with Martha & Giles being a particular example of one of our favourites. It’s a real testament to KCC’s talent that they’re able to change up the pacing so quickly, and the fact that they seem just as at ease performing slower songs than the faster ones that almost fill Almost Home is a very good sign. Next track On Your Own speeds things up again, but instead takes on an almost electronic sound, all through the use of the bass and electric guitars.
Keston Cobblers Club are definitely one of the better bands performing in the nu-folk genre, and there’s a sense of innovation and creativity present in their music that many of their peers sadly seem to lack. Almost Home is a great album worthy of any record collection, and it’s certainly on a par with previous release Wildfire.

By Jane Howkins