forcing surf audiences into a commitment check when the band takes the
stage at instrumental music festivals.
“We get a reaction for sure,” said Jackson. “You’ll either pay attention or leave,
but something’s going to happen.”
Which isn’t to say that the band isn’t
fun to listen to, with songs from Corridor X and new release Human Sounds,
Vol. One: Stop Off in Ridgeview compelling heads to nod even as thematic
nukes fall. Tunes like Duck & Cover and
Corridor X are frenetic, the kind of songs that
buy careless drivers a speeding ticket, while
evocative playing in Something On the Wing
voices paranoia and mistrust, broadening the
band’s emotional impact.
Part of what drives their unique sound, according to Smith, is that Holt is the only member with a direct line to the surf side of the
songwriting process.
“Some of that just comes from having dudes
in his band that don’t know s**t about the
music he wants to write,” said Smith. “Noah
set out to start a surf band, but none of us
knew what that’s supposed to sound like really, which gives us a unique, weird flavor.”
Holt and Smith both say that the band’s biggest fans are usually musicians, finding appreciation in the songwriting and the technological backend that goes into the music.
Though Kill, Baby… Kill! seems inaccessible
on paper, when labels are stripped away
and expectations are dropped, they’re just )