With “X Me Out”, kamikaze release an energetic reckoning with experienced
transgressive behaviour. As the fourth single from their debut album “The End”,
announced for release this year, the song stands for clarity, determination, and
self-protection. Distorted guitars, dark synthesizer sounds, and a nervously urgent pop foundation that leaves no room for rest: Riot Grrrl meets Sabrina the
Teenage Witch.
kamikaze are the charged antagonism of anger and enthusiasm. Since 2017,
the duo from Cologne and Düsseldorf has been breaking down the boundaries
between pop appeal and punk attitude: dreamy melancholy meets rebellious
euphoria. They describe their sound as “soft riot pop”, a mixture of bittersweet
melodies, a clear stance, and a lived DIY culture. The lyrics are relatable, subversive, emotional, and resistant all at once.
Jessi (vocals & guitar) and Flo (guitar) are no short-lived hype – rather, they are
a determined counter-movement to posturing. With no formal musical training
and growing up in a reactionary small-town environment, they founded kamikaze as an escape and a form of self-empowerment. They taught themselves
to play instruments and organized concerts and releases themselves – without
a label or management. The DIY ethos runs through everything: from recording
with a 4-track recorder to self-produced music videos and cassette releases.
For “X Me Out”, kamikaze put their melancholic and thoughtful side on the
back burner. Loud and unmistakably, they confront exclusion with a conscious
refusal to belong. The song oscillates between destructive thoughts of revenge
and constructive letting go. Ultimately, the mantra-like chorus forms a defiant
cut: out of the toxic situation, into self-assertion. Triggered by own experiences
and the misogyny that continues to rage, music, zines, and sitcoms of the 1990s
became a refuge – and then a source of inspiration for “X Me Out”. The result is
a song that sounds like a cross over an old story. And what better way to start
a new year?
Thoughts Words Action 