IN-STORE SESSION: Psychobilly outfit embrace their inner goth child

Horrorpops - Kiss Kiss Kill Kill
Posted by Laila Hanson on 29-May-08 @ 12:34 PM

[4/5]
The rockabilly underground never sees a lot of mainstream attention (at least, not since our parents were in high school and it was called "surf rock"), but this scene has maintained a remarkably loyal following despite questionable innovation through the years. Danish ex-pats HorrorPops have built a rabid following in Europe and are consistently a hit on the Warped Tour. With two previous records under their belts, whichi establish that they could turn a traditionally gloomy genre into a poppy escapade, the band drop Kiss Kiss Kill Kill in an effort to pay homage to '80s new wave and goth-punk. Fans of the band won't see a major departure from the style of their previous two efforts, but the band push the music a notch darker and more powerful. Those who enjoy labelmates Tiger Army and Nekromantix will feel right at home with the group's sound, and newcomers to the genre will find solace in the albums very danceable rock 'n' roll feel and charming nods to '80s pop culture-most clearly noticed in "Missfit" (featuring an interlude with a modification of the melody of Madness' classic "Our House"). Throw away your preconceived notions about the psychobilly genre-no matter how much Elmer's glue is in your hair, this one's fun for the whole family. (HELLCAT) Kevin Wade

ROCKS LIKE:
Siouxsie and the Banshees' Juju
Tiger Army's III: Ghost Tigers Rise
Buzzcocks' Singles Going Steady

IN-STORE SESSION WITH HORRORPOPS VOCALIST/BASSIST PATRICIA DAY

Being a female-fronted band forces the media to compare you to other female-fronted bands-does that get old?
You know, for the longest time since we've been releasing records in the U.S., all I hear are comparisons to Gwen Stefani, as if no other female rock 'n' rollers exist. I was cool with people comparing us to Siouxsie And The Banshees because their music really was something I grew up with, but I've maintained that ever since we started this band that I don't want to be dropped into one particular genre, so I'd rather not really be compared to anyone else. I certainly appreciate comparisons to other talented people, but I hope people will just enjoy our music for what it is.

"Boot To Boot" is a pretty biting political track, which is a bit of a departure for you. What's the story behind that?
It might stand as the only time the HorrorPops will ever get political-not that I don't like that sort of music, but we're usually pretty silly. The story behind that song is that in our hometown in Copenhagen, there was a place called the Youth House, which was the only sanctuary for punk-rock kids. There's sort of an unspoken rule in Danish society that says, "Don't stick your nose out and don't be different." We actually get ridiculed on the streets when we go back home because we've got tattoos and dyed hair, and the Youth House was the one place people could go to get away from that. It was a really famous place that's seen some of punk's biggest names over the years come play, and when the new government was elected, it was turned over to a really conservative Christian group that is everything you think it might be-they try to "reform" gay people and turn people into these "moral" beings. This story actually made the national news in the U.S. because there were riots when it was announced the Youth House would be closing, and as a matter that was very close to our hearts, it seemed natural to write a song about it.

"Disco" is mentioned as a perfect counterpart to the VH1 reality show Rock Of Love With Bret Michaels. What would a reality show about HorrorPops be like?
[Laughs.] We wrote that song almost a year ago, so other than the Poison mention in the song, it actually wasn't about that show, but I did see one episode of it, and it was pretty ridiculous. Man, a reality show about us would be fucking hilarious, but probably only to us. It might be the most boring show ever-playing shows and us sitting around watching Law & Order reruns all day. -Kevin Wade


Official Website: http://www.hell-cat.com


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