Frank Turner’s new album ‘Be More Kind’ has finally hit the shelves, and with it comes a refreshed and refined sound from the Folk Punk veteran. Turner’s 7th studio arrives with a new approach. Turner himself has mentioned numerous times that this is the first album he has written and recorded Be More Kind with the idea of it being listened to as an album rather than live. With that in mind, Be More Kind feels more polished, slick, and professional than previous studio albums.
Along with the more polished feel on Be More Kind, it is equally evident that Turner has returned to writing songs about what is clearly a passion of his; Politics. The most obvious evidence of this is ‘Make America Great Again’ a bass driven track with an alternative take on Donald Trump’s trademark slogan.
Turner seemingly moved into uncharted waters when in the studio recording Be More Kind, as the album has a catchy, poppy feel to it. My personal favourite track is ‘Little Changes’ a jangly, folky, pop song. Like a number of other tracks on Be More Kind, it reminds me heavily of bands like The Shins, Noah and the Whale, and digging deeper even bands like The Drums.
Be More Kind is a huge success, and will without doubt appeal to a wider range of listeners to previous albums. Turner has tried something new, and arguably it his best effort yet.
I was lucky enough to interview Frank last month, and you can hear everything from inspirations to embarrassing university stories below!
by Jake Harvey
