The first thing that jumps out at you when listening to Kal Marks is front man Carl Shane’s vocals. Odd, angry, and sneering though they may be, it didn’t take long for them to grow on me, and eventually love. “Life Is Murder,” the fantastic title track from the band’s upcoming album, pairs Shane with another unique voice, Jonah Furman of Krill, our recent Band To Watch. The two wring an endearing charm out of such loneliness and depression, especially when Shane deadpans, “I’ve never been so happy with a bottle of lotion in my life.” Musically the band jumps between laid-back grooves and anxious frustration, which by the end boils over into a full-on guitar freak out. The heart of the song, however, comes in the middle section as Shane and Furman begin the quiet chant of “Life is murder,” sounding desperate and hopeless, but eventually building into a massive rallying cry for anyone who’s ever felt a little too close to the void. Listen below.

Life Is Murder is out 9/17 via Exploding In Sound/Midnight Werewolf/Sophomore Lounge