New To Know: Nightmare & The Cat + Kisses

Nightmare & The Cat

While in New York for CMJ I was lucky to make the acquaintance of Django, Claire & Samuel the trifecta that make up Nightmare & The Cat. They are truly delightful kids who make very easy conversation as well as incredibly easy music. Theirs is a classic rock vibe with a tinge of folk. The music is rather unassuming, but with every listen you’ll find it settling in to your head -and heart- in the way a song should. The three decided to make a serious go at the music scene after realizing how much they enjoyed casually playing together. Their comfort with each other comes across in their sound, especially when they’re doing an unplugged session like they did at EVR during CMJ. Nightmare & The Cat doesn’t attempt to be too overtly retro nor too heavily invested in the indie rock scene; instead they’ve found a niche that will sound familiar even upon first listen. Right now they only have their self titled EP out there in the ether but all five tracks on it are fabulous and hopefully signs of greater things to come.

[MP3] Sarah Beth

Kisses

When I first heard this new track from LA duo Kisses I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The track is slinky and spaced out- the kind of music you’d expect to hear in the elevator in The Fifth Element- but still incredibly accessible pop music. It piqued my interest so I went a researching. It turns out that Kisses’ Jesse Kivel’s musical goal is to send you on a bit of an audible journey through the essence of disco, new wave and -strangely enough-balaeric beats. Their new album Heart Of The Nightlife is full of similarly delectable songs that alternate between up beat and chill but all within a spectrum suitable for cocktail hour.

[MP3] Kisses