The Kills release new album, discuss recording and Hince’s injury that made him learn to play guitar all over again.
The Kills have returned with a new album, titled Ash and Ice, five years since their last album. This time, the band also relocated to record in a new studio, moving from Michigan to Los Angeles. The duo agree that they wanted to capture the spirit of the city in which they lived. “And it felt like it was time to do that when we were recording, and trying you know to capture some of the — not just the room we were in — but capture the spirit of the city we were in and the degenerates that were coming around.”
Also involved with the album was a project called Under the Gun. Essentially, each song on Ash and Ice had its own symbol, and The Kills invited fans to have a symbol tattooed onto the bodies. Those who entered had to submit a form with the tattoo they wanted, and if they were lucky, they would be one of the 15 to be filmed and photographed during the process.
Hince also had surgery performed on his middle finger, after it was slammed in a car door and became infected. “I went into surgery and was told I was about 18 hours from losing it.” Singer and songwriter Mosshart was not too worried about the incident. “It always felt the whole time that everything would be fine – that it was just gonna be a very long, gruelling process to get him back together again (laughs).”
Post-surgey Hince then went on the trans-Siberian express through the heartlands of Russia and Siberia. In later interviews, Hince only described his love for the effect desolate plains or stretches of trees going on forever had on his brain.
The trip and a song called UFO by ESG inspired Hince to write Siberian Nights. The intro sythns and strings in Siberian Nights sounds quite similar to the DIY string sounds in UFO.
Overall, Hince is proud of the album, as it pushed his skills and the rock guitar to boundaries not explored much in today’s music scene. “I’ve gone out of my way, literally, geographically so I could write something that didn’t make me cringe. In that sense I’m really proud of everything I’ve written, it doesn’t seem right snarling while I’m playing, it seems more honest to me.”
Alison Mosshart, the other half of The Kills, agrees with Hince in how much she loves the new album. “I am really proud of this record – I feel like we pushed ourselves to a place that felt fresh and new to us.”
Mosshart also delved into the creative process behind making the album. The duo recorded songs that pushed them into foregin musical territory, somewhat an uncomfortable place for most musicians. From there, it was a matter of understanding the songs and then finally “mastering them.”
Mosshart herself has also been insanely busy. She was recently on tour with supergroup The Dead Weather, another musical project she’s been part of since 2009.
Of the several music videos they’ve released for the album, Doing it to Death takes the prize for its dark and gothic atmosphere. Mustangs ride past neat rows of tombstones. Then, a line of headless men walk up a road towards some final destination. But the clip also has its moments of humour. Mosshart gives a sermon to an empty church, cigarette in hand, while Hince sits upright in his own coffin.
As for the actual music on Ash and Ice, The Kills do not sound any more original than they did on their previous records. They do, however, sing and play with a greater honesty and openness. Hince’s guitar style has also changed due to his injury. The guitar lines are simpler and less hard-edged, thereby accompanying the imagery set by the lyrics. One song to definitely listen to includes That Love. Mosshart bares her heartbreak before an ageing piano, with an acoustic guitar accompanying in the background.
As for tours, The Kills are set to play some of the new songs all through Europe and the US. If you live in Sydney or Melbourne, don’t miss them on the 23rd and 26th of July, respectively.
