ALBUM REVIEW: BEANS ON TOAST – KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS

Released: 5.12.25

Released exactly a year ago, 2024s Wild Goose Chasers was a departure from the norm for acoustic-guitar-slinging folk singer, songwriter and story teller Jay McAllister (Beans on Toast) as the record was entirely recorded with piano and vocals and no further instrumentation. His new album Kill Them With Kindness is something of a departure again, as it is the first album he has recorded with his touring band, although it will feel very familiar to anyone who calls themselves a fan of his work.

Abbi Phillips on drums gives each song in which they perform an additional layer, as does Matt Millership on keys. Memphis Gerland on guitar shines, especially on country rock song Comfortable In The Counter Culture, written about lunatic, lying world leaders. And the punk performance poet and bass player Bassie Gracie takes centre stage on the Great North Road, an ode to the joy of making art for any reason whatsoever, which features one of Gracie’s poems as well as the fiddle playing skills of Ruth Lyon.

This new record boasts some trademark stellar storytelling skills laced with a sharp wit and sense of humour. There are songs about learning from one’s mistakes, whether that be getting so pissed on Tequila that you vow to never again drink it (That’s Why I Don’t Drink Tequila Anymore) or your daughters desire for a pet forcing you to weaken your opposition to it only to discover a love that is so strong that it will motivate you to write a love song to your new companion and put it on your new album (Our Cat). There’s a song about saving a tree from Glastonbury and planting it at a pub near The Peak District, the same pub that played host to the launch show for the album (The Glastonbury Oak), a protest song about many things, including Gaza and AI, and of course a love song dedicated to his wife.

It is of course very common for folk singers to make music that puts the world to rights, and you could say that is at least a part of what Jay does, not so much in the sense of offering solutions to all of its problems but simply in addressing the state of the country and the wider world. This record also addresses the state of Beans on Toast, offering little four-minute windows into the life of its creator as well as some of the places he has been and people he has met along the way. It feels like a musical interpretation of campfire stories told by that fascinating new friend you met on your camping trip that make you laugh and make you cry, that you will re-tell to family and friends for years to come. Kill Them With Kindness is, at its core, a warm, sweet, playful record that celebrates friendship, community, family and art – with just a little vitriol thrown in the direction of the establishment.