'23 Discovery Series: illuminati hotties' "Kiss Yr Frenemies" (Tiny Engines, 2018)

In 2021 I started to really hyper fixate on i.h., the singles to their upcoming Let Me Do One More record as well as the FREE i.h. release from the year before in anticipation of the new record. That record ended up being my number three at year's end, which was kind of surprising to me especially given my first spin of the album. At first, I was disappointed with the mostly slow numbers but as I grew with it I saw them for the emotion they were giving off. In contrast to Free's fun tender punk vibe it wasn't what I was looking for right away. Maybe that's why the first time I listened to Kiss I put it away for almost two years before seeing the band live.

In all honesty, Kiss feels like the prototype of LMDOM with its mix of fun songs with big hooks like "Paying off the Happiness" or "Pressed 2 Death," as well as the tender, in tracks like "For Cheez." There are even some odd similarities between the two like the short, to the point "Boi" being right around where "Toasting" fits into LMDOM's sequencing. LMDOM has a slightly better formula in the bare bones finale, whereas Kiss' goes for a big, feel good one. Also on Kiss' production, which makes some of the softer cuts frankly hard to make out at an even volume. Obviously this comes far before a Hopeless budget and Sarah Tudzin's now mastery of the craft herself, this album being made as a way to prove herself to possible collaborators on her way up.


All considered, I'm glad I gave Kiss another chance. It's a fun record! There's a lot of good here! It doesn't show Tudzin growing into her potential just yet, but two and three years later she would and it's fascinating to see the path there.

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