Comprised of Philip Cope, Laura Pleasants, and Carl McGinley, the trio of Kylesa have developed a reputation for being difficult to pigeonhole; in fact on the band’s latest effort, Exhausting Fire, the metal band’s sound incorporates elements of shoegaze, New Wave, 80s goth, death metal, punk, metal to craft songs that are punishing, dense, expansive and trippy — and often include tone and tempo shifts that often occur quickly.
Exhausting Fire‘s latest single “Lost and Confused” sounds as though it owes a great debt to both Tool and A Perfect Circle as the song consists of a moody and shoegazey introductory section of shimmering guitar chords that leads into the bulk of the song — sludgy and forceful power chords, thundering drumming and shouted vocals. which give the song its snarling, punk spirit. At the song’s core is the intense and confusion feelings within any relationship — but in particular, an extremely dysfunctional relationship in which mutual disgust, mutual need, lust and love seem to morph into one fucked up but intense sensation that simultaneously pushes and pulls you towards someone. And as a result, the song possesses a tense, brooding wariness.
The recently released official video, which comes after the band released their newest batch of tour dates, is directed by Skip Terstra, and as Philip Cope explains the video captures “an intensity and darkness within a relationship that mirrors closely the vibe of ‘Lost and Confused.'” Visually, the video as Bloody Disgusting describes it is “Natural Born Killers meets Pulp Fiction” and I have to admit that it’s pretty spot on — the video captures a dysfunctional relationship based around drug addiction, which in turn leads to violent crimes and a fucked up ending for the protagonists.
As I mentioned, check out tour dates below. If they’re at a music venue near you, check them out.
Tour Dates
11/6 in Pomona, CA at The Glass House
11/7 in Los Angeles, CA at The Fonda Theatre
11/8 in San Francisco, CA at The Fillmore
11/10 in San Diego, CA at The Irenic
11/11 in Phoenix, AZ at Club Red
11/13 in San Antonio, TX at The Paper Tiger
11/14 in Houston, TX at Warehouse Live
11/15 in Dallas, TX at The Prophet Bar
11/17 in Colorado Springs, CO at The Black Sheep
11/18 in Denver, CO at Summit Music Hall
11/19 in Salt Lake City, UT at The Complex
11/20 in Boise, ID at Neurolux
11/21 in Portland, OR at Hawthorne Theatre
11/22 in Seattle, WA at The Crocodile
11/23 in Vancouver, BC at Biltmore Cabaret
11/24 in Misosula, MT at Stage 112
11/25 in Billings, MT at The Railyard
11/27 in St. Paul, MN at Turf Club
11/28 in Des Moines, IA at Vaudeville Mews
11/29 in Kansas City, MO at The Riot Room
11/30 in Springfield, MO at Outland Ballroom
12/1 in Memphis, TN at The Hi-Tone