The Kiss Offs

Following their 1999 release Goodbye Private Life, The Kiss Offs get their rocks off in Rock Bottom. With a sound clearly rooted in punk, this Texas-based quintet boasts loud distorted guitars, hard-pounding drums, melodic keyboard playing, a boy-girl vocal duo and lyrics laced with pure fun.\nComposed of guitarists Phillip Niemeyer and Travis Higdon, keyboardist Katey Jones, bassist Gavin Scott and drummer Dwayne Barnes, The Kiss Offs capture the bubble-gum, punk-pop spirit in Rock Bottom. The Niemeyer and Jones tandem prove to be a bundle of fun with the tradeoff vocals. The emotional level of the lyrics runs the gamut, oscillating between soft, sweet melodic utterances and angst-ridden, psychopathic lamentations.\nLikely to invoke favorable memories of childhood, "Mmm Mmm Mmm" is a happy, cheery song with Jones raving about the sweet, sticky taste of cotton candy and the pleasure accrued from "bubble gum-blowing contests."\n"Prolonged Adolescence" is an ode to the band's friends and hometown state. In tandem, Niemeyer and Jones spout off, We can dance to our favorite bands/all night/With Lone Star beers in hands/all night.\n"Pleather Pantz" packs a powerful punch and is chock-full of wailing guitar riffs and ominous lyrics. Just as fast as the song's intensity ebbs, frontman Niemeyer's screaming reinvigorates it by lamenting You got a pretty a face/It's a bloody mess/Wipe the blood with the hem of your dress.\nOverall, The Kiss Offs' Rock Bottom is harpooned by its overemphasis on the volume of the music, which on occasion serves to push the vocals out of the realm of clarity. Nevertheless, The Kiss Offs maintain the creative spirit, and the fact that Jones uses a keyboard purchased at Sam's Club lends credence to this. Let The Kiss Offs accompany you while you careen your way to the sunny beaches of Florida or wherever you might roam this spring break.