From Sci-Fi to Synth Pop: Killing Kind Turn the End of the World into Art
Punk Head: You’ve described the album as “incantations and chants for a dying world.” Do you see this project as a warning, a requiem, or something else entirely?
Killing Kind: It’s a little bit falling in between, I think. Isn’t it too late for a warning and just a little bit too early for a requiem? I believe it could count as a warning that it is too late and that we need to understand how to behave as humans when humanity goes under. So, there is time for some grief. We are losing something beautiful.
Punk Head: The lyrics lean on sci-fi and horror imagery — what draws you to those genres as a way to talk about modern life?
Killing Kind: I have a huge interest in horror and sci-fi films and sci-fi culture at large. You can see how horror has been used to frighten but also to help us to understand evil. And to scare evil away. Shelley’s Frankenstein gave us a tool handle and discuss both evil and science. During the cold war a lot of horror and sci-fi movies described the global tensions – be it an attack of zombies as in Night of the Living Dead or the alien invasion in War of the Worlds. In our times we use other thematics we can understand. Colonisation of Mars. Leaving dying Earth to find new and pure land. Cli-fi is the genre of our time. In our lyrics I see that I use lines from different movies, more or less without thinking of it. Other times i see that the lyrics reflect a certain mood from some movie. I would like to explore this more in the future and develop it a bit more.
Punk Head: You blend post-punk, synth pop, and goth — but with a heavier, more modern edge this time. What did you want to explore sonically that you hadn’t touched on with your debut?
Killing Kind: We have really talked about purifying the sound. We all come from the post-punk scene and are veterans in that aspect, but we all bring other things to the table as well. This album is a start to pin-point what Killing Kind is about a bit more. Dark but also beautiful. Heavy but melodic. We have tried to simplify things, but in many aspects, we also made it a bit more complex. There is still potential to go further in the purifying direction. Which is good. There is so much good and new music in the pipeline. With ‘Being Human’ I wanted the synthesizers to take a leading role and the guitars to step back a bit, this to bring in some air into the production. Interestingly it made everything slightly heavier and darker but also it gave the production a more “modern” sound. As said, we have just started this journey and I am more or less just playing synthesizers at the moment, and rarely touch the guitar when writing new songs.
Punk Head: There’s a cinematic quality to your tracks — do you think of your songs visually as you’re creating them?
Killing Kind: When I hear music, it creates images in my head. When I write a melody, if I like it, it creates images or moods that easily transfer to images. Music is very much a visual art form for me. When it comes to lyrics they sometimes just describe these visual moods or at least develop from them. It is a very subconscious process where melodies, images, moods and things I have seen or read are mixed.
Punk Head: What song from the record do you hope listeners return to when they feel lost?
Killing Kind: We are all so lost! But Humanity or The Wall maybe. Sometimes a sad and dark song will help you through tough times. It helps you to understand that you are not alone. The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else, you know.
‘Being Human’ is coming out on October 31st, 2025.
