Coraline Seksinsky
WKNH Music Director
Kissies described themselves as “queer skram with a chance of slowcore.” This description feels apt after listening to their debut self-titled EP.
For those that don’t know, skrams can be described as a lo-fi delineation of a certain kind of emo. They prioritize a melodic emotionality and desperation.
Slowcore emphasizes minimalism and air in its composition.
The twists and turns inherent in this combination create a lively listen, though the slowcore elements keep it from having the explosive turns of similarly radical queer artists Space Camp.
The turns may come with less ferocity but they are used well.
It’s a quick run.
There are four songs, and the longest is only four minutes.
Suffice to say it’s a quick and condensed listen.
In many ways the concision serves the larger point of the album.
The liner notes say that the record is not simply for queer folks and for our pain.
It is also about fighting those forces and finding the solace we need to keep fighting in our closest relationships. Whether I find that they achieve those goals or not might be arbitrary.
Laying out such lofty goals for oneself can often require a maximalist approach to thoroughly explore the subjects and embody the mission statement.
As a result, a project that sets such goals for itself can suffer extreme bloating.
I don’t think we find that here. Instead, the group decided to thread a more spare route.
Delivering a four track EP instead of a whole full-length or a multiple LP project prevents idea fatigue. So here we have the groundwork laid for what I imagine will be fruitful ideas and future releases.
All four songs have a chartered aggression and urgency.
Everything is played brilliantly and composed well.
The truly standout tracks are the last two, “Someone Said” and “Hitched.”
Both display the full brilliancy of this band: The delicate balance between screaming and the wondefully sung melodic parts. The builds, blowouts, and the quitter sections all live amazingly together as a part of a single composition.
Just when it feels like there’s no more intensive, more emotive, place to go, through a route of least resistance, Kissies brings us just about farther than we thought we were going to go.
There’s a lot to love here. This is a band to watch for sure.
Keep and eye on Kissies. Check them out with wherever you listen to music.
Coraline Seksinsky can be contacted at wknhmusic@gmail.com
