Kills Birds wanted to bring a primal approach on their new single “Ow”—ignore any restrictions and discover their essence through pure spontaneity. Armed with vocalist Nina Ljeti’s feral delivery, the noise rock project built the skeleton of the track through unconstrained means. At first, guitarist Jacob Loeb had a simple riff and Lteji could only offer her stream of consciousness vocals. The final result shows the now-quartet’s undeniable chemistry—Ljeti’s offbeat, cryptic imagery is built around Loeb’s bendy, soft-loud sonic dynamics, stringing together an aural assault that blazes through with loads of attitude.
"Ow" is featured on Kills Birds’ self-titled debut LP, which is due out August 28 via KRO Records. Watch them perform at Office Party in Highland Park on June 18. Juan Rodríguez