Natural born kissers (or NBK) is singer and lyricist Mika Itkin Weinstein, guitarist Jacob Levine, bassist Matt Tellstone and drummer Jake Murray. They released Grenadine which is a five-song EP that displays some of their talent. The band describes their music as ”picnic punk” which to my ears sounds like a pretty straightforward alternative with a dash of punk and some additional flair.
They are a young, fun band and fans of bands with similar aesthetics such as Frankie Cosmos and Porches. The songs follow a distinct “indie” flavor that is sometimes cute and innocent in the same way a lot of Frankie Cosmos material (although a little more aggressive) sounds to my ears. The band get rolling with “oregon trail” and I liked what I heard right off the bat. Although it sort of seems like the guitarist and bassist are noodling they aren’t. They give Weinstein enough room to let the vocal breathe. On that note I thought this may have been her best vocal performance. She is really dynamic and goes from subtle to powerful vocals. The hooks are also memorable. Killer song. The band goes into Mac Demarco territory with “current events” on the verse with that dreamy yet slightly funky reverb haze he is known for. I love the chorus which is catchy and powerful in a ’90s Pavement type of way. That being said the sort of drum solo that happens is great partially because it’s just cool sounding but also because I wasn't expecting it. “holiday inn” is a pretty straightforward indie rock that is well delivered. Props to Tellstone for the killer bass line. “4 the kidz” is another solid effort. The closer “i die 2” is a little more emotionally resonant and pensive than the previous songs. Weinstein sounds great against the ’90s guitar style that closely mirrored The Smashing Pumpkins’ earlier work and Hum. Natural born kissers are on par with a lot of the coming of age indie darlings that are part of the new breed that were influenced by bands like Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Guided by Voices and other like minded bands I personally grew up on as a 20 something. I think natural born kissers have what it takes so my advice is to go out and get it.
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