Seraphina Lotkhamnga on February 5th, 2013

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With a heavy thud, the beginning of Kisses‘ new single hints at the duo’s turn for the dark side of pop … and it’s oh-so-lovely. Although Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson’s debut “The Heart of Nightlife” shimmered with a brighter palette to capture the upbeat life of Palm Springs, it’s difficult to avert one’s ears from the colder ’80s pop of “The Hardest Part.”  Just one of the many crisp Debbie Deb and Lisa Lisa-like threads that help tell a loose narrative about privileged teenagers in Bel Air dealing with the emotions and boredom, it’s a rather robust electro-pop composition off the band’s sophomore effort “Kids In LA” (out May 14 on Cascine). One thing hasn’t changed though; Kisses’ forlorn lyrics and beats still move both our hearts and feet to the dance floor.

||| Stream: “The Hardest Part”:

||| Previously: “Funny Heartbeat” and “Endeavor”

||| Live: Kisses play March 2 as part of the Ranch festival.