KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * *
These 12 tales of love and murder start with a silly little song called Thelma and Louise - surprisingly enough about a reckless road trip. Great movie, but so 1991. Once you get past that, and the equally silly live cover of Billy Idol's Rebel Yell, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill is a blast.
The title track is the clincher as it lurches into life like an uppity and pummelling Joy Division song. Then singer, upright bass player and mistress of murder Patricia Day's vampish vocals on the "kill, kill, kill me quietly" chorus lifts the song to a deliciously nasty new level and you can't help but sing along too.
Day is not to be toyed with. On MissFit she sings "My fist in the middle of your face" to the tune of Our House by Madness.
Her dour howl, like a cross between Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Courtney Love in her Hole years, takes a while to get used to when matched with the Dutch band's combination of ska, psychobilly and punk rock. And there's even a reckless surf rock uprising on the excellent instrumental HorrorBeach Pt. II. But overall their third, and most consistent and accessible album, is a catchy, frisky, and sometimes menacing romp of a record.
Label: Hellcat
Verdict: Worthwhile romp through Dutch band's house of horrors
