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Alexis Taylor & Mike Simonetti Share New Single “Perfect Kiss” Ahead of June 12 12″ Release
Alexis Taylor and Mike Simonetti released the single "Perfect Kiss" today. The song leads a 12" due June 12 on Smugglers Way, backed by a Bonnie "Prince" Billy cover and remixes from claire rousay and Black Forces.
Alexis Taylor and Mike Simonetti released the single “Perfect Kiss” today. The song is the lead track on a 12″ that pairs the original with a cover of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I See A Darkness.” The record is due 6/12 on Smugglers Way and includes remixes from claire rousay and Black Forces.
Taylor put out the solo album Paris In The Spring a few months ago. Hot Chip also appeared in season two of Netflix’s Beef earlier this year. Taylor and Simonetti entered the studio together after meeting when Taylor heard Simonetti DJ at Output in Williamsburg. Taylor said, “I was really excited about the re-edits he was playing that night.”
“I grew up listening to the radio on drives with my parents, whether it was driving around Bayonne, New Jersey or a trip to the Jersey shore. I was raised on pop music and on the radio. Before even making music with Alexis, we would have little conversations and seem to be on a similar wavelength regarding pop music. He’s kinda around the same age as me, which doesn’t hurt, either. I think you have to be a certain age to appreciate ’80s pop music because it does not exist as we know it today. So the songs that me and Alexis make are definitely going to have a lot of pop elements to them, even though the subject matter might not be stereotypical pop. But that’s the beauty of a good song — hiding darkness behind a pop hook.”
— Mike Simonetti
Musically, “Perfect Kiss” opens with a close-miked acoustic guitar and Taylor’s restrained vocal. The arrangement widens over the course of the song, adding synth textures and percussion that push it toward a club-ready finish while keeping the melody front and center.
The music video was shot on Super 8 in Los Angeles by director Brian Deran. The clip features Taylor, Simonetti, and Elizabeth Wight of Pale Blue. Scenes move between grainy interiors, close-ups of hands on instruments, and brief sequences of the three walking together on a sunlit street.
The single will be available on 12″ vinyl and digital formats. The tracklist is “I See A Darkness” b/w “Perfect Kiss,” plus the claire rousay and Black Forces remixes. The release date is June 12 on Smugglers Way.
