Not to be confused with The Killers, the bluesy punk duo The Kills consists of vocalist/guitarist VV (aka Alison Mosshart) and drummer/guitarist/vocalist Hotel (a.k.a. Jamie Hince). After her Florida punk band Discount ended in 2000, VV began exchanging tapes with the London-based Hotel through the mail, but both of them felt hindered by this method, so VV crossed the Atlantic so the duo could write faster.
In spring of 2001, they issued a self-released demo that showcased their gritty, sexy sound and earned favorable reviews. A debut EP arrived in summer 2002 as The Kills toured Europe and for eight weeks in the U.S. before returning to London to finish their first full-length album, 2003’s Keep on Your Mean Side.
Their second album, No Wow, arrives today and is an even dirtier, leaner collection of songs. The first single is “The Good Ones.”