KISS KISS CUT CUT is the debut EP from VHS PANTY RIOT, the project of Nathan Wilde. I listened to all five tracks a number of times before writing anything down, as a record like this deserves to be listened to, not hurried over. It's the kind of thing where you see something new every time.
There isn't a single vocal in the entire EP, and it's actually a good thing. All ideas have to be conveyed through the music, and Nathan is able to convey these ideas without the record ever feeling like it's missing something.
The title track is the one that will stick with you for the longest. Lots of bass and a driving beat with some bright melodic lines. Dark and shiny sit side by side here, and Nathan lets the two pull on each other until it's alive and slightly dangerous.
You're Pretty When You Panic is a steady ascender, while I Smile You Scream plays a blindingly bright set of lines that erupt with energy over a soothing beat, and allows moments of drifting, soft textures to seep in during quieter passages.
Throughout, Heaven Sent Me A Psycho has a strong hold on the audience, letting up just before punching back in harder. Getaways Look Good On You concludes with melodic runs, and a low end that swells and eases in waves, ending on a turn you don't quite see coming.
This is from a guy who was raised watching late night horror shows and playing video games in arcades. Instead of recreating that world, Nathan has infused his personal memory of it into these five tracks, and the whole record is fueled by that memory. It is never a memory of something older, more like a memory made into sound.
The melody meanders slightly off-course at the end of the title track, which is a nice little surprise that shapes the ending of the song. It's a subtle reminder that Nathan is building each and every second by hand, without relying on formula, and that honesty runs through every track on this record.
Play this EP once, in a quiet spot, and listen closely to understand how it works. It has a lot of excitement in it, but it's tightly controlled and not too loud, and yet it's not boring either, so you want to hit rewind before it ends. KISS KISS CUT CUT is not really a debut, it's an arrival. Whatever Nathan does next, it'll be the first thing I hear.
