I few months ago, I found a youtube link on some random blog with a live video of a keyboard / drums duo called Matt and Kim. In the video (see below), are about 25 or more kids packed into the kitchen of a house. Next to the stove is a pixie like girl who looks more like Animal when she starts playing the drums. Every so often, we catch glimpses of Matt playing the keys and throwing up iconic rock motions with one arm. The highlight of the video is the crowd. They’re screaming along with the lyrics and completely beside themselves. Live performances don’t get much better than this. However, this is a house show. How would it translate live? And… wait… who in the hell are Matt and Kim?
I didn’t know it at the time, but a few months later, I’d get my answers in person. About 10 days ago, I went to the Drunken Unicorn to catch Deerhunter. Once I got there, I realized that Matt and Kim had also been added to the line-up. I was slightly skeptical of how it would come off. I’m not a fan of Mates of State… and apparently after talking to Kim… neither are they.
Once on stage, the two do a phenomenal job of creating their own environment. The songs are short pop-punk fringed anthems filled with steady drum arrangements and bouncing analog keys. The chemistry between the two is absolutely infectious. Matt almost comes off as a hyperactive 10 year old… in the best ways possible. In between songs he laughs and makes fun of Kim. Kim in return couldn’t smile any wider the entire show. Every break she gets from pounding away on her simple drum kit, her eyes are locked on Matt. Honestly, I thought at any given second she was going to jump over the keyboards and tackle hug him… and probably a lot more.
It all made sense when I got a chance to talk to them after the show. Matt and Kim had been a couple for years before starting a band. In fact, they got the idea to start a band before they even knew how to play their instruments. They originally had grand ideas of all the types of instruments that would be involved, but quickly realized the difficulty in execution… so they settled on drum and keys. At the time, they didn’t even know who Mates of State were.
The couple were given their band name by a promoter of their first show. They didn’t have a name, so the promoter just billed them as Matt and Kim. It ended out working fairly well for them, because in the Brooklyn art scene they were already known collectively as a couple. Friends would see a flyer or ad and say… “Oh… I didn’t know Matt and Kim had a band.” Two years later, the two find themselves on a never ending tour. Shows are booked entirely by the band and they often prefer house shows to clubs when given the opportunity.
Matt and Kim signed to Franki Chan’s LA based label I<3COMIX and have just released their self-titled debut. Blogger love is all but being thrown at the couple, but then again this is truly a case of reaping what you sow.
Matt and Kim – It’s A Fact (Printed Staind)
Matt and Kim – Yea Yeah
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