J MAU & THE KISS OFF hit the trail with ‘Poison’ “Music to laugh and cry and live and die by”
THROUGH a series of traumatic events LA’s Justin ‘J Mau’ Maurer emerges with debut single ‘Poison,’ a cinematic, West Coast desert hymn from new posse, J MAU & THE KISS OFF.
Maurer’s story isn’t mythology, it’s messy and damaged. A CODA raised between Los Angeles and Bainbridge Island by a single deaf mother, surviving a turbulent childhood including helping to put his abusive father behind bars.
But Maurer found independence in the underground – at fifteen he booking shows and performing, five years later releasing records and touring the world with Clorox Girls.
His new project sees him turning towards something darker and dustier, a murder ballad wedded with decades of West Coast punk and noir, an outlaw, alt-country number that would have had Johnny Cash looking over his shoulder with envy.
“Real country music is poetry,” said Maurer. “It’s about failure, heartbreak, and the tragic human condition. Music to laugh and cry and live and die by.”
The single is accompanied by an 8mm-shot video co-directed by Maurer’s former MANIAC bandmate Zache Davis, and Marta Ribate Gracia-Davis.
Recorded at Savannah Studios in Boyle Heights with Ignacio ‘Iggy’ Gonzalez backed by Patrick ‘Butterworth’ Vasquez, and Kevin ‘Quake’ Milner, Maurer brought in bassist Cynthia ‘Mickie Splits’ Herrera (Kontrol Inc/The Sacred), lead guitarist Jairo Gabriel (The Zinfandels), and drummer Christopher ‘Crux’ Michael (Guantanamo Baywatch), a genuine LA mix: different neighbourhoods, different backgrounds, and different histories.
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