Jesse Kivel – lead singer of Kisses – is a romantic guy. Or at least he likes to put across this image before revealing that he’s got a sleazy side just like any other man. Across his debut album (created with band mate and partner Zinzi Edmunson) he pays homage to that overwhelming feeling of infatuation while also referencing the other less appealing side. While he’d like to take his date on walks along the “coastal water lines of the sea” he also might be found with a couple of girls kissing him. But it’s kind of hard to dislike Kivel as his smooth and friendly baritone voice – rightfully akin to Jens Lekman with a hint of Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor – and his often lush and summery musical backdrops. For all his faults he lays out on The Heart Of The Nightlife, he tends to give an equal (if not a greater) amount of reasons to consider taking him back. On the opening track “Kisses” where he’s found with the two girls he retorts with lines like “I love you/ Does this change a thing?” and “I miss you/ Did you hear me say?”. He is the kind of guy you couldn’t break up with because he’s just so gosh darn nice. On album highlight “Midnight Lover”, the chorus boils down/climaxes to the line “I would like to take you for a nice steak dinner/ Just me and you”: I’m practically swooning.
The pleasantries that are strewn across the album make certain lines stick out that much more. “Lovers” is a prime example: On top of a somewhat unexciting bass line and an insistent beat he begins “Hey baby/ I wanted you to know/ That as lovers go/ You’re the best I’ve ever known”. Following all his romanticism you couldn’t be blamed for thinking he was talking about true love, especially when he goes with a simple little line like “The thought of losing you was making me sad” over some added prickly guitar. But when he continues with “I wondered if you’d ever fuck me at all” it sort of throws you off for a moment and reveals that much like any man, in the end he’s only got one thing on his mind.
With all these loved up sentiments and hidden desires The Heart Of The Nightlife starts to come off as a sort of concept album, perhaps based on the events of some holiday in the Mediterranean or in the grounds of the lush hotel on the album’s cover. The album’s title track – a jittery guitar number with added synths – could well serve as the easily overlooked centerpiece, a soundtrack to all these fictional (or real if these songs are based on personal experiences) characters rushing about the town near the hotel at night or running up and down the carpeted hallways in the hotel. Or merely just the way the album can feel like one half hour block of somewhat similar music, it can feel like it’s all inter-related, like a segment or specific memory he has lived through (or is living through).
The fact that each track can come across as very similar to the others can cause a bit of a problem, especially when you listen through the first few times. There is not anything here that is instantly catchy, apart from the earlier mentioned “Midnight Lover,” with its danceable riffs (and utterly pleasant chorus), and perhaps the opening track “Kisses” with its boppy euro-pop sound. However, even though I have trouble recalling a song on a whim after a plentiful amount of listens, I still find myself singing along to near enough every word and knowing every turn the tracks will take when the album is playing. It’s the kind of album that doesn’t get in your head or under your skin but you still remember it well when you think back on it, much like a good summer holiday.
