One night a little over a year ago, three young men burst into New York City’s Lower East Side mainstay, Katz’s Delicatessen, and held the joint up. Sort of. HIJACK and THORALD, along with drummer SHAKERLEG, make up New York City band The Kin, were looking to rob ears, not wallets.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a musical robbery!” shouted Hijack as he strode in with Thorald on his heels strumming a guitar. The duo launched into an original song, “Downtown Train” for the restaurant’s patrons, winning them over with their energetic performance, rich harmonies, and sheer nerve.

The Kin have launched several of these “musical robberies,” including at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Soho House, and Seven Grand Whiskey Bar in Los Angeles, even at a French airport. “We’re looking to surprise people and give them a musical experience,” Isaac says. “Even if it’s just for a split second, it’s a rush for everyone involved.”

The Kin have been capturing their gritty 'danger-pop' sound in the studio, working with legendary producer Tony Visconti (best known for his work with David Bowie and T.Rex), as well as former Record Plant staff engineer Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith) and Nic Hard (Joey Ramone, The Church) to record the songs that will make up the band’s major-label debut album to be released by Interscope later this year, which will include the single 'On the Rise.'

The question was: How do you bring to life something that is so explosive live? One way has been to showcase not only Hijack and Thorald’s dual lead vocals and familial harmonies, but also the raw power of Shakerleg’s stick-free, bare-knuckle percussive stylings which the Buffalo, NY-native honed through years of trying to get the attention of apathetic commuters while performing on NYC subway platforms before he agreed to join The Kin.

"I don’t think we truly became The Kin until Shakerleg joined. For the six years before that, we played with great musicians but it always felt like we were putting together an ensemble. Now it makes sense."

This year, The Kin will continue to play live as they finish up recording their upcoming album. "So much has been done before but you try to reach into your own heart and hear the music in there. That’s the place I like to write from.”

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