REVIEW: Kanadia - The Fire That's Tearing Through Our Home

Three albums into a career typically means that, as a band, you have properly discovered the sound that you want to emit into the universe. Alternative rock can be quite a challenge to pull off well, and when you combine it with shoegaze, not only is it potentially risky creatively, but it is also technically challenging. This is exactly what KANADIA have tried to achieve with their third album, and even though the songs sound humongous and dreamy, the inconsistency of the 12 tracks ultimately turn The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home into an inconsistent experience, with unpredictable highs and lows.

The record starts off with its longest song, clocking in at over six minutes long. I’m Falling introduces the listener into the dreamy ambience the band have evidently aimed to create. Immediately, the drums and the vocals stand out, as the snare drum is punchy and powerful, whilst the vocals feel very grand and cinematic. The chorus here embraces a crescendo that's larger and larger each time it hits, which adds to the cinematic feel found within the song. The guitar solo, whilst simple, is overshadowed by the synths, but is another element added to build the song up as it ends, making this song a fascinating start to the record.

Following track The Ways feels more energetic. Starting out with a drum fill, and a mellow guitar melody before exploding into the main riff, the pace is already much faster. There are two mini guitar solos here which take place after the first and second chorus. This as a result makes the track livelier, and as a result, is that much more enjoyable.

Too Late Now sounds like an old school, atmospheric alt rock song, and is an extremely straight-forward catchy track. The hook is another one that crescendos, and towards the end of the track, all the elements this band has come to life as the guitars feel louder and the synths are more prominent in the mix. This all ends with the second half of the final chorus being stripped down to finish the track off in remarkably different style.

Wired may be the most unique song on this record. Not because of its structure, but because of how the guitar is used. It is very rare to find a song where the chorus is a guitar riff, but this is indeed what we get here. The melody the lead guitar plays over the rhythm guitar chords is thoroughly contagious and works extremely well - which may be due to how mellow the verses feel, as the chorus feels like an extra wall of sound in comparison, that was very much an unexpected stylistic addition.

Musically, The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home is a very impressive album. The delivery of how each part is performed is calculated to perfection, with the standouts being frontman and guitarist JAMES BETTIS' individual contributions, as well as the drumming throughout from TIM LUCAS. Whilst the album sounds exactly how you'd like a shoegaze album to sound - that being dreamy and effervescent - this album lacks the fast to slow song ratio that might distinguish it from others. The second half of this album is almost entirely ballads or slower experimental songs, and this may well lead to a disconnect when listening in full, as there isn't always enough to hook a listener into that second half.

The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home is a very confident album, written by a band that has confidently found the style they are aiming for. With a bit more consistency, the overall listening experience could have made this a true stand-out this year. KANADIA are still a young band, and this record proves that they have plenty of potential, so if this record is anything to go by, album number four could truly be the making of them.

Score: 7/10

The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home will be released on September 26th 2025.

Words: Itay Gilad

Photos: Kanadia