Constantines: Kensington Heights

Label: Arts & Crafts

The Constantines’ first two albums were fine collections of anthemic punk; when the strongest criticism you can muster is that they didn’t match their (incendiary) live show, that’s far from a bad thing. 2006’s Tournament of Hearts expanded the band’s range, occasionally slowing things down and throwing in some quieter moments, and Kensington Heights is equally an expansion, albeit a differently textured one. When the group slows down—as on the critically slow-burning “I Will Not Sing a Hateful Song”—it’s with as much of a gut-punch as their more uptempo songs. “Hard Feelings’ opens things with fuzzed-out guitars and pinpoint rhythms, less the Curtis Mayfield-on-speed sound on previous albums and something rawer, more tenuous. The band’s tendency for memorable hooks and gruff, throaty vocals is still present, but Kensington Heights does sound like the work of a band channeling a greater emotional palette. Gloriously ragged, indeed. (Toby)