_{“Valley of Thorns” is the debut album from British female rock band The Kut who have previously released a number of EPs and single over the past ten years or so. The album was released on 4th May through Cargo Records. When the labels ‘alternative’, ‘grunge’ or ‘punk’ get tagged onto bands I can sometimes struggle to connect with the music, but that hasn’t been the case with The Kut. When I got the link to the new album via Rock n Growl promotions a quick preview was enough to ensure that the album got a more in-depth listen. The track “Bad Man” will be on the Friday NI Rocks Show this week.}

_{The Kut is the brainchild of front-woman and multi-instrumentalist Princess Maha. There have been a lot of line-up changes around her over the years, but the current line up also features Diana Bartmann on drums and Stella Vie on bass, with Maha covering lead vocals and guitar.}

_{Some of the media have compared The Kut to L7 and that is probably a reasonable assessment. The Grunge / Punk vibe is undeniable but something raises The Kut to a higher level for me personally. The band have received their fair share of awards and accolades over the past few years, so clearly I’m not on my own in that respect.}

_{There are 10 tracks on the album, some of which were previously released on EPs. Personal favourites include “Hollywood Rock n Roll”, “No Trace”, “I Want You Maniac” and “Bad Man”.}

_{Check out the band’s website at http://thekut.co.uk/}

_{About “NI Rocks Recommends”}

_{The simple idea behind “NI Rocks Recommends” is to acknowledge and promote some of the great music being submitted to Rock Radio NI. The albums that I’ll be recommending are those that you’ll hear me playing tracks from on my shows. I'll not be giving marks or ratings or analyzing the tracks in great detail; just telling you something about the artist and the album. It’s a personal recommendation to go check something out, not a traditional “review”!}