Q&A: Kiss Bang’s Debut EP “Horrors Of Your Hometown” Transcends Pop Music’s Boundaries
EDGY POP DUO KISS BANG – comprised of Kaya Stewart and Max Mercier have burst into the music scene with their debut EP Horrors Of Your Hometown, making a thrilling entry into the realm of contemporary pop. Their first single release, which shares the EP’s title, has been unleashed into the world through Bay Street Records.
At the heart of Kiss Bang’s unique sound is the compelling juxtaposition between Stewart's powerful, soulful vocals and Mercier's aggressive yet ethereal guitar playing and production skills. Together, they infuse a refreshing energy and rawness into the carefully defined lines that have dominated pop music for the past two decades. Kiss Bang effortlessly crafts timeless soundscapes that seem to transcend the boundaries of time, evoking a sense of nostalgia while remaining firmly rooted in the present.
“Each song written for this EP comes from personal experiences that we both share, yet are so relatable.,” Stewart says. “We both feel everything so deeply and our outlet has always been music. We didn’t write this EP with a story in mind, but listening back it really feels like a window into the life of two young people just figuring out who they are and taking everything as it comes.”
For Mercier, Kiss Bang is a creative blessing that allows him to break free from the self-imposed constraints he often experiences in his solo work.
“Kiss Bang is the biggest blessing for me as it allows me to create outside of the strict mental confines I set for myself when making music,” Mercier says. “Kaya’s music taste spans all genres and eras just like mine and she has an incredible ability to extract different sounds out of me. It’s super exciting.”
Mercier started writing Horrors Of Your Hometown months before he had met Stewart.
“I think these four songs greatly showcase our range as artists, performers and people,” Mercier says. “There are moments of refined recklessness, preemptive heartbreak, and deep hopelessness, but in true Max and Kaya fashion it’s whimsically packaged up with a ‘fuck it’ attitude. There are so many long nights, Sonic Diet Cokes (with the good ice), so much laughter, and so much love behind the creation of these four tracks and we couldn't be more excited to get it out into the world.”
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what inspires your artistic style and creative persona?
KAYA: I would say Max and I have always been such huge fans of all music, which is why it was so great to be able to work with someone who didn't have any boundaries when it came to that. I really come from a super soulful and rock background. Growing up, I was really into soul music and that was like my bread and butter. As a singer, that was an aspect I was really drawn to. But then again, I also grew up listening to Alanis Morissette and really strong females that I was inspired by.
MAX: Kaya and I from the start, I feel like we found a sound that was just a blend of everything that we liked. I tend to come from more of a hair metal, glam rock and then synth-pop background. I love everything from Tears for Fears to Mötley Crüe, and that tends to be the range I stay in, so the fact that Kaya was open to incorporating that was awesome.
LUNA: You have been working with Bay Street Records, the label founded by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics which is so exciting! How has that experience been so far?
MAX: It’s been great. It's the standard of what record label treatment should be like in the music industry. I think they're all super attentive and they're really there for us and want to do everything they can to get the project off the ground so it's really rewarding.
KAYA: It really does feel like how it used to be. I feel like that's like the best way I can describe it. We have a team that's actually so excited about this project – which unfortunately is rare – which is crazy to me.
LUNA: You just released your debut single “Horrors Of Your Hometown” and a huge congratulations is in order! I love the high energy it radiates. What is the inspiration behind the single and what did the creative process look like?
MAX: I started writing that song a couple of months before I met Kaya and I wrote it while I was cooking chicken over my stove. It was about a friend of mine who was telling me about how her ex had come from this terrible hometown and she was still in love with him and she wanted to move back there. I was like ‘that's ridiculous.’ I just came up with the horrors of your hometown thing, and then Kaya and I were making our record, by the second song or so we were just standing in the kitchen of the studio and I played the chorus line and Kaya said ‘that's amazing.’ Then we went upstairs and Kaya wrote all the verses and everything within 10 minutes and it came together and we were both super happy about it.
KAYA: I think it's one of those songs that was so much fun to write because even in the video, there's so many characters that we were drawing inspiration from growing up in our hometowns and thinking of the craziest and worst people.
LUNA: “Horrors Of Your Hometown” also has an accompanying music video. What is the inspiration behind the video and how was your experience filming it?
KAYA: That was the best experience of the project. I think the second that we wrote the song we already knew what that video was supposed to be. We knew this song required a video. Max had an idea to do a collaborative effort because the concept came from all of mine and Max’s ideas. It was really cool to have all these ideas come to life. I was at Max’s house the day before we shot the video and we were gluing outfits together and coming up with ideas. I think it’s really cool to have such a strong vision and then to be able to execute it. We had such a great team of people on the project who were able to execute it.
LUNA: Your debut EP with the same title is also about to be released. What can listeners expect from you in this new era of your music?
MAX: It's going to be a continuation of the sound that you've already heard with “Horrors Of Your Hometown,” but there's going to be more catchy repertoires, there's going to be some songs listeners can dance to and one of my favorite Kiss Bang songs that was written by Kaya that will tug at your heartstrings a little bit.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from Horrors Of Your Hometown and why do you love this song? Is there a certain lyric, message or element that stands out to you the most?
KAYA: I honestly think that one of my favorite songs is a song called “Nowhere.” I think it's just one of those songs that the second we wrote it, I thought this is such a scream in your car song and I remember that's always been a goal of mine is to write a song that’s so simple and so to the point. It’s really about falling in love when you’re young and not really knowing where it’s going or what’s going to happen, but seeing that as a good thing. It’s not a perspective I hear a lot, so that’s probably mine.
MAX: My favorite song is called “Bottlerocket” that we've recorded three times just to get it right and tried so many different versions, but then the last version ended up just being two acoustic guitars and vocals and harmonies. We ran everything through a tape echo from the 40s, so it has this really interesting character to it. The song itself was written by Kaya and I think it’s a very beautifully written introspective and emotional song that I cry to everytime I listen to it. I hope someone else does too.
LUNA: If you could describe the EP in a few words, which would you choose and why?
KISS BANG: Exciting, cabaret, unique and sexy.
LUNA: What’s the best environment to listen to Horrors Of Your Hometown?
MAX: The car. I feel like it’s one of those songs that you put on before you go to work to hype yourself up.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for listeners?
KAYA: There's nobody like us. Not just in this band, but in general and not even in a pretentious way. I just feel like we're both so individually who we are. I think people when they listen to this music, I feel like that'll come across as like we're really just ourselves and I really want to create an environment where you can be yourself and there's no judgment and it just doesn't matter.
MAX: That's exactly what we're trying to do. I think we're trying to create some individual freedom. We also want to hurt your heart a little bit because we all hurt sometimes.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would like to share with Luna?
KAYA: I feel like we are in such a good place right now here. We have shows coming up in New York. It's just so exciting because we worked so hard on this project, and now people can hear it which is so exciting.
MAX: It's been an insane amount of work and at the same time it's a rewarding feeling to be so tired at the end of this. I think that this year is our year. I'm calling it now. I feel like by the end of this year it will be inescapable. We’re going to be playing tons of shows in the US this year and we’re excited to make new fans and meet new people.
