Kid Chameleon is a bit of a contradiction. Despite being one of the most prolific acts in the guitar pop world, it remains one of its best-kept secrets. With How Long The Devil’s Been Gone marking Kid Chameleon’s second full-length release of 2024 (check out our post on that one here), a quick glance at the back catalogue reveals just how much output there’s been. Liam James Marsh, the mastermind behind Kid Chameleon, isn’t just leaving breadcrumbs to lead you to his music — he’s lighting up the sky with flares and fireworks.

This latest album is another showcase of Marsh’s brilliance. It’s heartfelt guitar pop that, from my reading of the lyrics, revolves around love gone wrong. Take this sample lyric from Better Yet, Never Sent, one of the album’s standouts: “We go quiet. You ask me what I’m thinking. I try to condense 5 years down to a single sentence. But some things are best left unsaid, and I don’t need the regrets.” But even without focusing on the words, Kid Chameleon’s music stirs a wide range of emotions — despair, melancholy, longing, euphoria, and everything in between.

So, why does his music seem to fly under the radar? Is the warm, semi-acoustic sound too lo-fi? Is the songwriting too subtle? I’m not sure. But as long as Kid Chameleon keeps releasing music of this quality, I’ll keep drawing attention to it, big arrows and all. This is the good stuff. If you’re a fan of guitar pop and power pop acts like The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness, Dropkick, or Hanemoon (or Teenage Fanclub), Kid Chameleon should be part of your musical diet.

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