Kiss Bang's debut EP 'Horrors Of Your Hometown' erases the clean lines of pop

After announcing their musical union under the new moniker Kiss Bang, Los Angeles’ Kaya Stewart and Max Mercier today release their debut EP Horrors Of Your Hometown. Available now via Bay Street Records, the label founded by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, the four-track-offering is a hopeful, blithe journey through romance, sex, uncertainty, tragedy and substance use. Stewart’s unignorable voice, paired with Mercier’s deft production makes for a proper introduction to the left-of-pop duo — Stream.

Following a chance meeting, Stewart and Mercier found the perfect partnership for creating music that isn't confined to a particular era. Whether in 1985 or 2050, Kiss Bang's debut EP fully circumnavigates the sterile lines that have been drawn in pop music for the last 20 years. Taking the winding route to avoid falling into any one formula to create music, Kiss Bang makes truly timeless earworms.

Stewart shares that, “Each song written for this EP comes from personal experiences that we both share, yet are so relatable. 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.”

Mercier adds, “I think these four songs greatly showcase our range as artists, performers, and people. 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 ‘f*** 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.”

UPCOMING KISS BANG SHOWS

• March 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW - Space Agency Showcase
• March 19 - Nashville, TN - The Basement - New Faces Night
• April 18 - Venice, CA - Winston House
• April 28 - Los Angeles, CA - Gold Diggers
• May 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Sultan Room

Reflecting on their first body of work as a duo, Stewart said, “We think Kiss Bang has such a unique sound and the four songs we chose for the EP really showcase that. Each song is filled with so much emotion and intensity, and can’t be described as anything else other than us.”

We wanted to make something timeless that feels good to drive to, cry to, fall in love to, get ready to, and dance to, and this is just the beginning,” concludes Mercier. “Life is always changing, but the fire between us as artists remains the constant that we can rely on. Basically what I'm saying is Kiss Bang won't stop until we get our own branded Karaoke machine.”