Kindness

Kindness represents the creative identity of Adam Bainbridge, whose trio of studio albums—World, You Need a Change of Mind from 2012, Otherness from 2014, and Something Like a War from 2019—has continuously reshaped an art-pop approach that balances personal intimacy with broader accessibility, drawing primary influence from post-disco R&B. Although Bainbridge handles songwriting, production, vocals, and multiple instruments, the artist has consistently elevated contributions from collaborators including Kelela, Robyn, and Jazmine Sullivan while also appearing on recordings by other musicians such as Solange on the Billboard 200-topping A Seat at the Table. As a DJ, documentarian, and sampler, Bainbridge has spotlighted key inspirations drawn from tracks by Trouble Funk, Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal, and Todd Rundgren.

Born in Peterborough and now residing in East London, Bainbridge previously worked as tour DJ for Test Icicles. Under the earlier alias Jitset, Bainbridge created remixes of the group's "Catch It" along with material from Damn Arms and Lo-Fi-Fink. The initial Kindness recordings took shape during a fellowship at the Philadelphia Institute for Advanced Study, yielding Live in Philly, which circulated via MP3 and a limited run of CD-Rs and featured guest appearances by Kurt Vile and Natalie Mering (aka Weyes Blood). Two years afterward, the first official commercial release arrived on the Moshi Moshi label as an atmospheric, galloping dancefloor interpretation of the Replacements' "Swingin Party."

Bainbridge subsequently established the Female Energy label and secured a major-label deal with Polydor, whose American output appeared through Terrible and Casablanca. The singles "Gee Up," originally the B-side of "Swingin Party," and "Cyan" preceded the arrival of World, You Need a Change of Mind, co-produced, engineered, and mixed by French house catalyst Philippe Zdar. The following year Bainbridge contributed to Blood Orange's Cupid Deluxe, extending an ongoing creative partnership with former Test Icicle member Devonte Hynes. Without Polydor or Zdar's involvement, the self-released Otherness surfaced in 2014, supported in the U.S. by Mom+Pop and featuring Hynes, Robyn, and Kelela. In the period separating the second and third albums, Bainbridge supplied essential contributions to Solange's A Seat at the Table, Robyn's Honey, and Blood Orange's Freetown Sound and Negro Swan. The Zdar-mixed Something Like a War reached listeners in 2019, incorporating appearances from Bahamadia, Robyn, Jazmine Sullivan, Cosima, and Seinabo Sey.