Review: Kung Fu Academy – Super 8 Flashback

Kung Fu Academy definitely like to keep you on your toes.

Gyrating through more genres in one song than many bands manage in their career, the Edinburgh four-piece’s latest release begins with a guitar rift that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Caribbean beach.

And to throw a little more unpredictably on the fire they end it with some towering early 90s vocals.  Bobby Osborne’s voice seamlessly strides on top of Kung Fu Academy’s funk-powered rhythm section throughout, not allowing the song to dawdle but instilling it with a progressive drive.

Expansive without sounding overdone, ‘Super 8 Flashback‘s highpoint is undobtedly the honey-sweet harmonies spread over its chorus. Blending together like a fine cocktail, the call and response vocals of “You’re a ghost that could have been/Tragically you’ll always haunt me here/My flashback super 8/Every frame has a picture of you” comes steeped in emotional weight.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nno6P4fVQs]And like the best things in life, Kung Fu Academy leave you wanting more. Combining finesse with enough kick to make you stand up and take notice is no easy task but one the four-piece pull off expertly. The lead single of their forthcoming EP, expect big things if the rest of the tracks are up to this standard.Super 8 Flashback is released on Whimsical Records – April 15th 2013https://en-gb.facebook.com/kungfuacademyoffical