…On the contrary, Mukqs, I took care to learn about the backstory, and I think I was more terrified than I would’ve been if I was completely ignorant of how personally derived Bonnie Baxter’s debut album as Kill Alters was. Plenty of releases make a show of being superficially frightening, but it’s questionable how many of those come from some place deep within an emotional core, which theoretically allows listeners to connect with the music on a sincere and borderline-subconscious level. Knowing that Baxter started Kill Alters as a consequence of the non-musical tapes that her mother invariably recorded when she was younger, and knowing that her mother continues to suffer from two debilitating disorders; it’s tough to remove one’s stone face listening to that first effort. Take it from Bonnie, after all; the product (by design) ultimately self-soothed more than crowd-pleased.
The second effort from Kill Alters, No Self Helps, somewhat re-utilizes the tape inspiration that got this whole project started in the first place, but this time, contributions from drummer Hisham Bharoocha (formerly of Black Dice) go a long way toward moving things off Baxter’s serious, intensely-personal, and hard-to-access island. That means more energy, complemented by Baxter’s continued reaching for vocal octaves, many of which might fall confoundingly between the “elated” and “in-immediate-need-of-an-exorcist” categories. The results still feel pretty wild overall.
No Self Helps is out July 28 on cassette and CD (note: the CD version also includes Kill Alters’ 2015 debut as bonus material). It’s the first Kill Alters release on Hausu Mountain and follows their recent joint album with Yasushi Yoshida on Deathbomb Arc. Head to Hausu Mountain to pre-order either iteration, and eviscerate yourself with bonus track “The Holder” down below.
No Self Helps tracklisting (CD version):
01. LaLaLa Song Part1
02. Sensory
03. LaLaLa Song Part2
04. Ego Swim
05. LaLaLa Song Part3
06. Mosquito’s Gonna Bite The Shit Out of You
07. The Holder
08. LaLaLa Part4
09. Shrill Birdy
10. Wart Therapy
11. A09
12. Silencio
13. D15
14. I’m Laughing
15. D03
16. My Father
17. D20
18. Something To Remember Me By
19. Love Me Or Murder Me
More about: Kill Alters
