by Charles Spano
Kill Me Tomorrow's caustic dance-punk is at first damaging and inebriating. But there is a remarkably catchy core to the songwriting beneath the spaz-out, drilling assaults. The best description for the band's sound might be "noir wave" -- a combination of new wave pop and the dark goth rock of groups like Bauhaus and Joy Division.The band, which toured with acts including Blackheart Procession and the Locust, formed in San Diego in 1998 and eventually settled on a lineup of real-life married couple drummer Zack Wentz and bassist K8 Wince with Dan Wise on guitar. Chrome Yellow, their debut, was released on Silver Girl Records and features remixes by Pall Jenkins of the Blackheart Procession as well as guitars that were so processed that they give an analog keyboard sound. The I Require Chocolate 7" followed on GSL in 2002, whetting electro-punk appetites with the sexed-out and gritty title track. In 2003, Kill Me Tomorrow appeared on a GSL compilation and released the Skin's Getting Weird 12". The Garbageman and the Prostitute -- a full-length freak-out of sonic death punk -- came out in 2004. As a bonus, the album includes a DVD with four of the band's videos.