New Jersey’s Kirkby Kiss return with “For You Fuck You,” the first new music since last year’s Four Color Black EP and the opening preview of an upcoming split with Prevail on Ebullition Records.
Trying to put Kirkby Kiss into a single genre has never really worked, and this track proves it again. There are obvious hardcore roots, but the band naturally drifts into screamo, post-hardcore, and even melodic hardcore without ever sounding unfocused. The transitions between quieter passages and explosive bursts feel organic, making the song constantly shift without losing its identity.
What grabbed me most is the balance between rawness and emotion. The guitars are abrasive, the rhythm section hits hard, and the vocals carry genuine intensity, but none of it feels heavy for the sake of being heavy. There is always an emotional weight driving the song, and that’s what makes it stand out.
The influence of classic East Coast hardcore is there, but so is the more introspective side of bands that blurred the line between hardcore and post-hardcore in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Kirkby Kiss take pieces from all those worlds and shape them into something that feels like their own rather than a tribute to any particular scene.
I’ve always appreciated bands that aren’t afraid to let emotion lead the aggression, and that’s exactly what happens here. The heavier moments hit because of the tension built around them, not simply because the volume goes up.
“For You Fuck You” is another strong release from a band that deserves far more attention. Raw, powerful, emotional, and never predictable, it’s the kind of hardcore that keeps revealing new details every time you come back to it.
