Kiss Offs

Saucy, glamorous and clever are the first three words that come to mind when considering this Austin, Texas new wave/garage/pop band. Armed with fuzzy guitars, catchy monotone male/female vocal trade-offs, and basic, but tasteful sounding organ, this band creates a retro but very fresh style of their own. One comparison that could put you in the right ballpark of what the Kiss-Offs sound like would be a more sarcastic Beat Happening crossed with a less bluesy Delta 72. There are lots of lyrics about dating and romance (“Kiss Me, Slap Me”), dressing up and looking snappy (“All Dressed Up,” “Perfect Fit”), and love gone sour (“Bottle Blonde,” “Never Been Kissed”). Best lyric of the month award goes to “I’m your puppet, with your hand up my ass, whooo!” from the opening track, “Dream Date.” What makes this album so refreshing is that it straddles the line between playfulness and aloofness so well.