The Kick releases pensive indie rock track "Mental Health Day," debut album '1+1' out 11/11

Today, The Kick–producer duo consisting of Charlie Ziman (Malcolm Todd’s main producer) and Nathan Tsunoda–released “Mental Health Day,” an indie rock track dressed with distorted production. The follow up to their sunny indie-sleaze, 7-minute long single “Wish 4,” “Mental Health Day” features a style of songwriting that is undeniably Californian: the pensive yet playful synth rings echoes of The Beach Boys if you stretch your imagination, while the nods to The Garden’s tongue-in-cheek flairs feel unequivocal.

Earlier this month, the duo announced their debut album, 11, due November 11 via AWAL Distribution. On 11, Ziman dialed down the poppier, more polished style he favors for his works with Malcolm Todd, sprinkled in the spirits of garage punk and indie sleaze. The result is an electro-pop forward record filled with breezy guitar riffs, spacey distortions and a signature California freshness contrasting the indie sleaze-grim.

On “Mental Health Day,” the duo said: “’Mental Health Day’ plays with the actual term ‘mental health day’ on a broader level. We compared the feeling of being free to running in a field of jasmine flowers, a feeling that seems to be forgotten about in the fast paced world we live in. We wrote about how short life is as well as the wish to step back and think, am I happy? Is this what I want to be doing?"

They continued: "With a stripped back verse instrumentally, the song opens up during the chorus as a response to pointing fingers and people in a position of authority. The moral of the song is that you are the leader of your own life, and hopefully a gentle reminder to recognize the fact that you can literally do anything you want.”

LISTEN TO “MENTAL HEALTH DAY”

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While Ziman & Malcolm Todd’s music dominates the charts, The Kick is asking for permission to chill. Ziman and Tsunoda grew up and reside in sunny West LA, and their Californian musical influences seamlessly weaved through their debut record. 11 can be witty, self-critical amidst its carefree, experimental, trippy production, it can also get indulgent, obsessive with elongated breakdowns and bubblegum pop aesthetic. Implied by the album title, things get extra and inquisitive on The Kick’s debut album. Driven by a sense of wonder and curiosity and a goal to have fun, 11 is both a nonchalant introduction and Ziman & Tsunoda’s dream to become a must-hear name in the late 2020s.

TRACK LIST

1. Cosmos
2. I Am No One
3. Mental Health Day
4. Wish 4
5. In The Stars (Interlude)
6. The Truth!
7. Myriad
8. Halfway
9. Wiretooth
10. Twisted
11. Price2Pay
12. You
13. Lil Song
14. Destroy My Life