Kill You in the Face

A Philly band makes sophisticated music -- if you can get past their notorious name.

By Katherine Silkaitis
Add Comment Add Comment | Comments: 2 | Posted Mar. 24, 2009

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Listen to Kill You in the Face on our Umm...Drop podcast.

How, exactly, does one stumble upon the moniker “Kill You in the Face”? For the eponymous local band, it stems from an intense dislike of Quizzo.

“It was a tongue-in-cheek sort of thing,” says Kill guitarist Mike Romeo. The band regularly met at a bar Tuesday nights, despite the fact it also featured Quizzo. “We’d be mad about it, but one day we decided to play,” Romeo explains. They named their team Kill You in the Face, and a band name was born.

And though it’s certain to help with recognition up front, a name like that can’t be without some drawbacks, right? “People hear or see the name and think we’re a metal band or something,” admits Romeo. Metal’s a far cry from the We Are Scientists-inspired dance-rock sound Romeo and childhood friend Alejandro Torres were shooting for when they founded the band two and a half years ago. They missed that mark, though, and now Kill is a delightful blend of ‘90s emo and punk—think Cap’n Jazz and early Saves the Day with some All thrown in for good measure.

Now a quartet, they’ve got one EP under their belt and are gearing up for the release of their second, due in late April or May. The Mighty Atlas will come as a flash drive ensconced in a plastic, life-sized, handmade raygun, which, crazy as it sounds, actually ties in quite nicely with the album’s theme.

Explains Romeo, “It’s basically the story of a military family. One day they’re just sitting doing whatever, but, holy shit—outside, there’s this huge [alien] invasion. The father of the family is a traitor and he winds up leading [the aliens] to defeat the humans, so the sons lead this big rebellion against them.”

Alien invasions. Rayguns. Rebellions. Sounds like a whole lot of killing in the face going on.

Sat., March 28, 9pm. $8. With Ezra Furman + Endless Culture. The Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. www.thekhyber.com

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1. Attentative Listener said... on Apr 2, 2009 at 03:16PM

“Their sound is a unique one that I enjoy. The singer's voice is not harsh like some bands in their genre are. The melodies are fluent and do not give me a headache. DEFINITE PLUS! They do need to work on their speed and tempo changes though. Overall, they are a band that should go places. I for one would like to hear more.”

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2. Chris said... on Apr 8, 2009 at 04:12PM

“I must say, Kill You in the Face has a pretty awesome sound. Their catchy changes and beats keep you wanting more. I've seen them live enough to tell you that they are a pretty talented group of guys. I can't wait for the new album to be released!”

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