MP3: The New Kinetics – “Riffle Raff”
Full album stream: The New Kinetics – Contact

We’ll just come out and say it: Birdy Bardot of The New Kinetics is one of the best singers in San Diego. Drawing equally from 60s psychedelic blues, grunge, and indie rock, Bardot’s salty-sweet voice channels everyone from Grace Slick to Chris Cornell. (Check out the above MP3 for their song “Riffle Raff,” and if you don’t at least agree on that front, you should probably just stop reading here.)

Couple Bardot’s vocal cords with a crack band that includes former Hotel St. George guitarist/keyboardist Brian Reilly, Jon Bonser on drums, and Leslie Schultze on bass, and you have an outfit that’s sure to energize crowds and make new fans everywhere it goes. And now that The New Kinetics are about to release their debut full-length, Contact, they can even go in your stereo.

Song after song on Contact will have you singing along — or wishing you had Bardot’s pipes so you could. Similarly, Reilly’s guitar work is at times both understated and stunning, proving that he not only knows how to write a song, but can also shred with the best of them. Reilly contributes vocals on a couple of Contact‘s tracks, and his bluesy versatility more than holds its own against Bardot’s dynamism. You don’t have to take our word for it, though; the whole album is streaming over at its pre-order page, so go ahead and give Contact a call.

The New Kinetics have a record release show for Contact at Bar Pink this coming Wednesday, September 28, and we’re pleased to be giving away two copies of the CD. To enter the contest, email contest@owlandbear.com with your full name and mailing address. The winners will be chosen at random on September 28.