Yeah, they could definitely hurt a fly

I had a few other things lined up for the next few updates, but I’m feeling kinda, um, emotional tonight, so I decided to depart from the general vibe of the last handful of bands on here. Alright, I’m not doing Kill Holiday any justice by labeling them as emo, and I am sure as hell not going to get into any discussion about what is and isn’t emo. Lines like “Can I rest my head on your cold shoulder” speak for themselves.

One fine day, I’ll tell you about all the times I didn’t get to see Unbroken for one reason or another. My only consolation consisted of seeing Kill Holiday later on. Granted, two bands could hardly sound more different, but at least I had the opportunity to see Andrew Steven Miller and Todd Beattie play. This is fanboy stuff, I know, but bear with me, because Kill Holiday were actually a pretty good band in their own right.

Their sound changed quite a bit from release to release. Their first EP, Monitor Dependency (New Age, 1995) was still a little rough around the edges, with more distortion and over-the-top whiny vocal harmonies. For their next record, a split 7” with Dempsey on Indecision, they seemed to look more to the East Coast for inspiration, particularly Quicksand. The whininess would never fully abate, but the songwriting became more focused, at the same time introducing a more danceable restlessness on the rhythmic side.

That shake-your-booty element became even more palpable with the 7” Kill Holiday released on Simba Records in 1997, on the occasion of their European tour. You have to remember, this was also the heyday of the ‘50s meets ‘80s revival – gelled-back hair, gas station attendant shirts, Doc Martens, the whole shebang – and you can sort of hear that in these songs as well, especially in ‘Meant to let you down.’ Simply speaking, it rocks, though it seems the ghost of Walter Schreifels was back in the studio when they recorded the B-side, ‘One more time for me please (then I’ll go).”

If you’re into Brit Pop, you might also want to check out the full length Kill Holiday subsequently released on Revelation. Personally, I’m not.

Kill Holiday - Agenda
Kill Holiday - Sugar rush
Kill Holiday - Meant to let you down
Kill Holiday - One more time for me please (then I’ll go)