It’s a tale as old as time; a band unites as something great, they rise to creative peaks and accumulate an oeuvre of bangers, then tragedy strikes in the form of ‘creative differences’ and the band disbands (pardon the pun).
As well-versed as this trajectory may be, The Kill Devil Hills seem to have dodged that bullet with humour, realism, and faith in the process.
The six-piece’s journey is described as “15 years and a few divorces”, so it’s no surprise that the good-natured vibe bleeds straight from the band’s core. Brendon Humphries chats eagerly, but with a restrained air, about the tour to come, taking his time to weigh up each question and choose his words accurately.
Humphries and bandmate Steve Joines founded The Kill Devil Hills back in 2003, aiming to produce a quiet acoustic sound using three members and a few sun-bleached harmonies. Understandably, judging by the Springsteen-esque rock vibe that marks the group’s discography today, this original plan “didn’t work out.”
“It’s like any creative clustering of people, it just kind of evolves. After such an amount of time, two of us [Humphries and Joines] anchor it – which isn’t unusual, as people just naturally come and go. I don’t think there’s a secret to it, it’s just having a rhythm of activity and time out from each other.
“Everyone has other stuff going on as well, so it’s not much of a hierarchical situation. Everyone has other projects going on, other bands that they play with and other music they create. So if anything, this time to get together for a tour – even a short one like this – is really special; kicking back, hanging out, spending a solid amount of time together.
“We lose about 20 years off our mental age and kind of just switch off from a lot of things, have a lot of easy times and late nights. There’s definitely that mateship element, it’s kind of like going on a holiday.”
The Kill Devil Hills dropped a long-awaited album in 2018; Pink Fit received widespread critical acclaim, despite the quiet release and subtle marketing of the album itself. Consisting of six songs in total, each track is laden with complex melodies and layering, lyrics that at one moment make you frown and the next have you smiling from the sharp witticisms of a hook.
“We recorded the raw tracks of the album in about three days, and did it all live. It’s only about 35 minutes long, but we knew half of the songs quite well so flew through them. Then with the other half, we went in with experimentation in mind and did a few takes until we were happy with what we got.
“We actually had a deadline, so pretty much had to lock it down in less than a week; I don’t think we actually thought we’d get through all the songs. We ended up with a shorter album, but we’re very happy with it; looking at it now, it perfectly straddles the line between EP and LP,” he laughs. “I don’t know what it is.”
Hitting the road in support of Pink Fit, The Kill Devil Hills will only play three shows on this particular tour, but they plan on bringing the most to each and every venue. They roll into Echuca’s Riverboats Music Festival on Friday February 15, and make their way into The Tote on Saturday February 16.
“This will be the first time we’ve played a few songs off the new album, so that’s something we’re all definitely looking forward to. The Tote has this energy that lets us work between wide boundaries; we can go quieter, and then easily let loose in the space. I think we’re really excited to work alongside the talented sound engineers and utilise the venues; The Tote is such a staple venue, it’s going to be a huge night.”
The Kill Devil Hills will launch Pink Fit at Riverboats Music Festival in Echuca on Friday February 15 and The Tote on Saturday February 16. Grab your tickets via respective festival and venue websites.
