Send "Kisses " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Kisses, as befits their name, are awfully cute. Their music, a plinky, stripped-down take on swoony synth-pop, is a sort of lovers' rock; hat in hand, frontman Jesse Kivel musters the best chorus on The Heart of the Nightlife when he asks the object of his affection-- that'd be bandmate Zinzi Edmundson-- out for a nice steak dinner, just her and him. Kivel's got no shortage of sweet nothings to direct at Edmundson, and it's no stretch to imagine these two staring right through each other as they churn out their lightly funky new romantic mash notes. The songs on Heart of the Nightlife are simple, fairly easygoing; the sentiments expressed within, perhaps doubly so. But Kisses' lovedrunk geniality and aversion to melodrama keeps the merely cute Heart of the Nightlife from toppling over into the dreaded cutesiness.Kivel sounds a bit like Bernard Sumner after a good day at the spa, his dusky deadpan a good foil for some of his more gawkily straightfaced lyrics. He's got a good bit of Jens Lekman in there, too, and there's more than a passing similarity to the Swede's homespun Balearic sunshine of some of these arrangements. Kisses mostly lack the dark sense of humor running through both New Order and especially Lekman's music; when Kivel notes "people can do the most amazing of things," he seems to believe it, so you do, too. These are love songs, kissed with a bit of nostalgia, riddled with a bit of doubt, and imbued with a little fantasy. They seem especially innocent, untroubled, still in the throes of first love, not sitting around waiting for the bottom to fall out. Even when, on opener "Kisses", Edmundson presumably happens upon "a couple of girls kissing" Kivel, you get the feeling they'll work it out....full text |
| Bbc |
| If chillwave is the sound of some non-existent beach paradise on a global isle where languor and self-indulgence are the lingua franca, then Kisses’ classy debut might be the five-star hotel you frequent to escape the sun-bleached riff raff. It’s undeniable that the LA duo – couple Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson – make music that plays into the romanticised false histories that have made 2010 simultaneously so beguiling and frustrating. The Heart of the Nightlife’s aesthetic backdrop is Miami, circa 1982 – it’s a soundtrack to the idea of the time, the emptiness of those cavernous white Hollywood Hills mansions, rather than mimicking the sounds of the period itself. Pastel slacks and gaudy cocktails by the pool aren’t yet trashy; Hall & Oates are topping the charts. Thankfully though, The Heart of the Nightlife isn’t pure pastiche – though it occasionally borders on it. Jesse’s voice sounds uncannily like that of Swedish crooner Jens Lekman, but lacking the accented curiosity and wryness that make Jens such an attractive proposition. The self-titled opening track contains pat coffee mug mantras like "Keep your heart strong and love long, and give kisses when you can," and "I love you, does this change a thing?" – and they don’t let up throughout the record. Most of the track titles sound like chapters from a West Coast Mills & Boon special. But somehow, that doesn’t spoil what for the most part is a delightful set of songs that sound rather like The Blue Nile minus the grit. The lonely People Can Do the Most Amazing Things contains the lines, "And it’s hard to know what you want / And it’s hard to know what you need," delivered in a tone that tells you that Jesse probably hasn’t put a great deal of effort into finding out what he wants or needs. But his flatness of voice contains a naïve dejection that sits well with the warm shades of Arthur Russell-influenced disco. It’s in that sense that Kisses have something in common with The Drums. Both bands trade in conceited guilelessness, whether that sentiment is one of fun – as The Drums’ is – or the pure sugar-coated melancholy that runs unabashed through the heart of this album. Kisses understand that, on occasion, everyone enjoys the wallowing "woe is me" loneliness of being single and making eyes across a light-up dancefloor. Theirs is a charmed world that you’ll find hard to check out of....full text |
| Contactmusic |
| Kisses are an LA based duo that make chilled out feel-good music; a contented blend of electro pop and more down-tempo electronica. Through The Heart Of The Nightlife the duo, Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson prove themselves as something of an American Belle & Sebastian producing relatively down-tempo yet feel-good tracks. Previous single 'Kisses' opens the album with funky synths, guitars, electronic beats and funky, melodic bass guitar lines heralding Kisses, on first impressions, as a Hot Chip-inspired, more chilled out Friendly Fires. Smooth male vocals are showcased over the electronic bed of 'Bermuda', whilst 'People Can Do The Most Amazing Things' displays a kind of 'eighties feel electro-percussion introduction then intercepted by guitars suggesting an indie band meets electro-pop blend. Again the dominance of the melodic bass parts sings clear throughout 'People Can Do The Most Amazing Things' and indeed throughout the entirety of The Heart Of The Nightlife. The albums' title track is perhaps its highlight despite being essentially a two chord instrumental; a heartbeat-like electronic bass drum pounds through smooth, sweeping synths before kicking into a funkier groove. Throughout the album, Kisses suggest themselves as a weaker, more average and middle of the road version of Caribou with their funky yet laidback dance grooves, chilled swooping synths and gentle guitar riffs....full text |
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