The last time this writer saw the infectious pop act Kississippi was at a sold-out Johnny Brenda’s in 2023. And though band leader and songwriter Zoe Allaire Reynolds has been sustaining her project in full force, she’s sparsely played Philly since. Reynolds’ focus instead has been growing as a writer, a producer, a visual artist, and even recently her own manager in this past year. In Kississippi’s latest EP damned if i do it for you, out today, you can hear exactly how Reynolds leveled up her already sparkling act. And while we’re lucky as fans to have another spectacular pop album to enjoy in a truly “pop girlie” era, Reynolds made this EP for herself as much as for us.
Since the beginning of Kississippi, Reynolds’ greatest strength has been turning her “emo” feelings into glittery, gum-smacking pop anthems. “I tried to kind of cover things up with glitter,” she says. But on damned, Reynolds tells us she was excited to go further, and lean into tougher emotions. “Heartbreak, I’ll be the only one to break mine / baby, you just saw me for the last time” she sings on the EP’s single “Last Time” about coming to terms with being single. She says she’s over “having depended on people to find self love,” and a big theme on damned is finding love within yourself. Her pop styling is the shiny packaging, or coping mechanism, for life’s challenges. “I want listeners to do the same [with my songs]: take emotions they’re struggling with and dance them off.”
It’s almost impossible today to chat about pop music without acknowledging the renaissance, especially for women artists, the genre is experiencing. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re almost two months into Charli XCX’s “brat summer,” Miley Cyrus finally won a Grammy, and Chappell Roan is…taking over the world? “[Roan] is definitely pulling it together for us,” says Reynolds. “When I was working on this EP and coming off a tour in 2022 I heard ‘My Kink Is Karma’ for the first time, and I’m like, ‘Oh wait. This is someone doing exactly what I’ve been trying to do this whole time.’” Kississippi fits perfectly into the burgeoning landscape of new age pop queens, one that’s more inclusive of queer identity and not shy to talk about mental health. Though Reynolds has made a name for herself doing just this, she says “I really look up to [Roan] as a fellow queer, bipolar person who loves turning love-sick songs into something glittery.”
Since Reynolds first heard Chappell a couple years ago, and was busy building her own project with industry support, her situation has changed. She talks about damned if i do it for you being a project inspired by being alone in more ways than one. “We’re fully without a manager and booking agent right now,” Reynolds tells me. But she’s optimistic about the band’s creative future still, adding “it’s really exciting to go back and figure out how to properly do this thing whether it’s on my own or not. It’s how things started for Kississippi [without a manager], so I’m not afraid to return to that.”
In Kissy’s most recent DIY era, they’re going hard as ever, with a tour booked on the West coast full of content-generating activity. Talking about Los Angeles, Reynolds says, “I understand why people who want to pursue music live here now,” adding, “I’ve made all of these plans to do writing sessions, and recording sessions, and content creation type stuff. I have my whole entire schedule for three weeks booked even though I’m only playing five shows.”
Reynolds’ impressive ability to do multiple jobs at once is what keeps her project alive, but also consistent. The harmony in her band’s sound and visuals is ultra-professional, with Reynolds having a hand in the graphics, design, and production of everything Kississippi. She’s been a graphic designer since high school: “I was the friend in the group that would redesign everyone’s MySpaces,” and gives a lot of credit to her producer Andy Park, but admits “I’m very much on my bedroom pop wave” as far as mixing her own music. “I think I do struggle to manage everything though; I have pretty bad ADHD so it’s easy for me to get sidetracked or get really excited about just one thing,” she says, though it’s only apparent in this personal chat. Like many creatives, Reynolds says the goal is “to be in a position where I could focus on just the creative work,” not the scheduling of it all.
In the studio for damned if i do it for you, Reynolds says she was nervous about singing some of the songs. “My voice has changed so much over the years. I used to just let myself be super mellow, and now I’m getting to the point where I can really belt stuff out.” She cites friends and creative mentors like Park and former producer Kyle Pulley of Headroom Studios as inspiration, but also recognizes the significance of knowing herself better as an artist and a person. “I’ve been waiting a long time [to release damned], and really working on getting to a good space mentally, and just being prepared for whatever happens next. It’s totally bliss to get it out there.”
Reynolds says she doesn’t have specific expectations for the EP’s reception, but knows exactly what she’ll be making next, and with whom (though it’s too early to announce, this major collab will not disappoint). “I just kind of go with the flow and see how things go,” says Reynolds. Keeping with the independent streak of damned if i do it for you she adds, “whatever happens, I’m happy, honestly.”
