While the pandemic has affected everyone’s lives in drastic ways, none more so than artists. However, the four piece band Kick and the Hug didn’t let that stop them. While they are currently scattered all over the country, they still created music via file sharing and zoom. Kick and the Hug is unapologetically passionate about the creative and connective parts of music, more of the ‘your music changed my life’ exchanges with real people, not the ‘I love your post!’ comment from a username account. Their song “Girl You Changed” is about that experience. “Girl You Changed,” released earlier this Summer, is their indie pop hit similar to Band of Horses. It’s about the live music experience of a fan who was loyal from the start. To be there from the very beginning and still be a fan going to live shows is their inspiration. “Girl You Changed” was based on their own experience of going to shows as fans to having their own. Their music video for “Girl You Changed,” out today, creates a live music experience without the live part. They sing directly to the viewer breaking the 4th wall. They are singing and performing for you and it feels welcoming and warm. We get a glimpse into their methods and they leave us with a desire to actually see them live. They give off this friendly and inviting energy that brings the video to life.
“We keep saying how Kick and the Hug is all about playing live. It’s why we exist, yet to this date, we haven’t played a single show. Just a combination of circumstances…the pandemic coupled with the fact that we all live in different cities. The Girl You Changed video is just a quick blast of the emotion we expect to put out there in our live show. Look ! We’re a band!”
The members of Kick and the Hug lived through a different time in Boulder, CO, when the vibrant live music scene, and plentiful basement apartments, was a great place for a musician to make a living. The band is scattered across the country now, stretching all the way from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, and Denver. Such is the case these days; they collaborate via file sharing…but when it’s time to get in a room and create the real thing, Boulder seems as good a place as any to congregate and create, with its proximity to nature and the creativity that flows through the city. Lead singer /guitar player Doug Murray and Sam Young (drummer, keys) played together in the early 90’s Boulder stalwart the Winebottles, before Young went on to serve stints with the Samples and Devotchka. The band is also joined by multi-instrumentalist Mike Ferguson on bass, strings, and vocals. The band’s sound is glued together by lead guitarist and in-house producer Tyler Skye. Skye is picking up steam as a producer and is best known for his work with indie upstarts FRND CRCL and The Idea. “Girl You Changed” is a powerfully infectious song that leaves you pressing repeat over and over. You can connect with Kick and the Hug via the following links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud | iTunes/Apple Music | YouTube