REVIEW: THE KILLS - HAPPY GIRL SESSIONS EP

4/5

Happy Days

A year after their games with God, The Kills are back. And like birds of a feather, they give you a new extended play based around a cover of the titular track off Billie Eilish's smouldering and smoky, second album. And what better than the scorching vocals of The Dead Weather and, of course, The Kills singer Alison Mosshart to sing Billie's brooding 'Happier Than Ever'? As VV sings, "I don't relate to you/I don't relate to you, no/'Cause I'd never treat me this s####y/You made me hate this city/And I don't talk s### about you on the internet/Never told anyone anything bad/'Cause that shit's embarrassing, you were my everything/And all that you did was make me f#####g sad," with the same powerful poignancy as Billie. Proving that, to even the coolest double act in music, Eilish is epic. Just like Finneas.

Book another stay in the Hotel, as Jamie Hince rips through non-electric versions of some of the best cuts off of last year's greatest 'God Games' from the bull and the matador of the US/UK act. The number '103'. The best 'Better Days' since Tupac. The new 'New York' anthem, so good, they had to do it twice. And their own empowering one singing 'My Girls My Girls', with a call and response of, "I'm on those middle of the night vibes/Those singing 'til I die vibes Reminiscing while I cry vibes/Twitching, I'm so high/Like put me in a ride/Like those vibes/Clinging on for dear life/Like I know I should/I picked a bad time/To feel this good." But oh, how it does.

'New York' with the "Wait for me, stay for me/You medicate my bad days/Hit all my highways/Speed for me, bleed for me/Steal me away from all the bad guys/'Cause I'm nice/Down here on the Bowery/The city's got me feelin' high," on this Dylan in reverse, this eclectic group will soon be singing for the cities of Memphis, Jackson, New Orleans, Florence and Mexico City on a forthcoming tour. Making up for the cancelled one in support of the Queens Of The Stone Age due to Josh Homme's health issues (get well soon). But now, a new classic cover is good enough for its own EP, painted in a green album artwork mural above a booming box on the window sill for your tape deck. So open up the curtains and window and let the music in. The acoustics are amazing, and joined by a joint Alison was singing all around the house anyway, what more could you want? Happy now, boys and girls? TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Happier Than Ever', 'New York (Non-Electric)', 'My Girls My Girls (Non-Electric)'.

Spin This: Billie Eilish 'Happier Than Ever'.