It’s been a while since we heard from Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince. Of course, the latter hit the headlines along the way, thanks to the small matter of his marriage to Kate Moss. Before that, the duo had carved out their own raw rock n’ roll niche, penning several great tunes like the sexy ‘Future Starts Slow’ – on their 2011 album, Blood Pressures – which boasts one of the best, rumbling riffs of recent years.
Well, The Kills are back with their fifth album, Ash & Ice, which features two cracking singles in ‘Doing it To Death’ and ‘Head of a Dog’, plus a great video directed by the legendary Sophie Muller. As in their previous releases, The Kills demonstrate their ability to do scuzzy rock better than most. Mosshart and Hince’s duet on ‘Doing it To Death’ is an absolute joy. On ‘Bitter Fruit’, they both snarl the lyrics beautifully, and ‘Days of Here and Why’ is one of their best songs yet. 
Mosshart and Hince’s old relationship, and all the attention surrounding Jamie’s marriage to and divorce from the most iconic British model since Twiggy casts an interesting light on Ash & Ice. They both sound like older and somewhat wiser characters, wrapped up in an intimate but platonic relationship. In recent interviews, Hince has revealed they realised how much they need each other as friends and co-creators. To paraphrase Casablanca, Ash & Ice is the sound of yet another beginning of a beautiful friendship.
_Out Now

Rating: 7/10
Key track: 'Doing it to Death'