Kissimmee // This City // OUT NOW // Strutter Records
Any band exploiting the combination of that "powerpunk" sound along with a female vocalist is bound to experience immediate comparisons to Tennessee rockers Paramore, who have certainly perfected the formula and become the most well-known group utilising these two characteristics. Or perhaps it would be more so due to the band's name originating from a vacation spot in Florida. Either way, Leigh Alexandra separates herself from Hayley Williams not only by being a little more mezzo-soprano, but also from her and band-partner Drew Wale's music standing apart in a number of ways. But less about Paramore, and more about Kissimmee…
It's a little unusual to hear that the duo are influenced by 80's Stadium Rock as well as, of course, pop-punk, but this can be heard now and again in their repertoire with double-kick-pedals and guitar solos giving the music a more 'epic' feel.
Regardless, 'This City' remains one of their more modern-sounding pieces, with disjointed and highly-percussive verses standing out from big, drawn-out, melodic choruses. It's easy to imagine this song blaring out in said stadiums with it's many layers of backing vocals, huge power chords with intermingling riffs, and reverb-laden drums transforming a basic pop-punk progression into a thick, powerful wall of sound.
Kissimmee are their own band, their own sound, and impressively have combined two contrasting genres to touch upon; inventing their own. For fans of Paramore or not, they're worth a listen.
