British post-punk revivalists Editors have a new album out in September called EBM, and there are two main takeaways from that title: One, it’s an acronym of Editors and Blanck Mass, as Ivor Novello-winning producer and composer Benjamin John Power is now a core member of the group; and two, it suggests the type of thematic sound from the band’s seventh studio album, taking influence from the Electronic Body Music that lit a synth strobe across the dance underground in the ’80s.
We bring that all up because Editors’ thunderous new single “Kiss” draws heavily from the EBM world, particularly the seven-minute extended mix that’s now playing on Spotify. We’ve long sung the praises of Editors over the past decade, and this new track is a riveting breath of new air that’s as exciting as it is propulsive. “Kiss,” described by Editors frontman Tom Smith as a “crying on the dancefloor banger,” has an adrenalized fever to it that draws more intense with each salacious beat. This, along with April single “Heart Attack”, sure suggests EBM could be one of the better albums of the fall. It’s out September 23 via [PIAS].
Meanwhile, “Kiss” touches our eyes, ears, and lips complete with a balletic music video, ideated by Editors guitarist Justin Lockey and directed by his and his brother’s production company Hand Held Cine Club. It features dancers Harry Ondrak-Wright and Rory Macleod with choreography from Sophia Hurdley
“The idea of this video came out of a want to do something simple and abstract that didn’t read too deep into the lyrics or any kind of blow by blow literal take on the lyrics,” says Lockey. “It was more about using the title to spark a theme to work on, using movement as the core medium. The idea I landed on would be to show the story of two souls constantly attracting and repelling each other, never quite fully coming together… until ultimately they succumb to being intertwined together for better or for worse.”
Check the video below, but we also highly suggest letting the extended mix stretch out as intended.
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