Band Biographies: KinZie

Near the end of their debut album, Dead Eyes, KinZie pauses for a hypnotically frenetic tune called “Catharsis.”

As lead singer Phillip Ori croons over a dissolved relationship (“Now I know it’s true/I’ll do much better/Without you”), the listener cannot help but notice the relief promised in the title. Similarly, the band also is celebrating this emotion. 

After years of playing every nook and cranny of the Birmingham music scene - from the dirty little secret of The Nick to the DYI haven of the Firehouse to the space-aged wonderment of Saturn - and sharing the stage with bands such as Screaming Females and Night Beats, KinZie's core trio (Ori, bassist Thomas Warren and drummer Parker Chambliss) has finally put the full-length LP that perfectly captures the unhinged raucousness of their live show.

Produced and engineered by Brad Lyons at the legendary Boutwell Studios in Birmingham and featuring guest appearances by local artists such as Jesse Payne, Dead Eyes is a unforgettable ten-song roller coaster of emotions, starting with numbness ("Took two pills today/Just to ease the pain") in opener "Heavy Head", grief ("Rest your weary tired head/Dream of better times") in "Dead Eyes", fury ("And these voices remain silent now/And the blood slows down to a crawl") in "Brutus" and indifferent acceptance ("The world is truly ending/There's no will for hope") in ending track "Oh Well".

Musically, the album careens between math-rock, jazz, punk, garage rock and brutal hardcore. Even in the quiet moments, you have to wonder if you're in the calm before the storm. But you'll definitely want to be around when KinZie strikes.