ABOUT THE SWEET KILL
LA post-punk band THE SWEET KILL, helmed by Pete Mills, stands as a gothic-rock tour-de-force, a dark presence in a world of cold wave synths and brooding guitars. Spawned to be a beacon for those lost in the shadows of life, Mills’ deep baritone voice guides us through sonic terrains stretched over wind-swept moors and crumbling Gothic ruins. THE SWEET KILL delves into the chambers of the soul, where despair and longing collide. His voice, like a haunting refrain, pulls at the heartstrings, evoking the desolate beauty of a long-lost romantic era echoing the laments of London After Midnight, Sisters of Mercy and Joy Division.
Shadow Zone Sound, Mills’ own recording sanctuary, is a vessel for exploring the dark edges of the human condition—where every note, every lyric, searches for meaning in the spaces between life and the infinite unknown. Albums Darkness and Nowhere bear this unmistakable mark. Mills muses, “Nowhere questions the final analysis of the soul’s journey between life and death, are we eternally drifting in the ether or, are we never lost and always found?”
The latest Halloween single Dead of the Night, is a requiem for the death of his former life and a hymn for the rebirth. This also celebrates the signing to Artoffact Records. This partnership will culminate in a third full-length album in 2026. With Dead of the Night, The Sweet Kill invites us into a dark, cinematic world where devotion, desire, and despair converge beneath the moonlight.
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UPCOMING SHOWS
“The Sweet Kill continue to put out tracks that are emotional rollercoasters
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“When I first listened to ‘Soul Satellite’ I was blown away with emotion that I felt. It was no surprise when I read that the band had first hand experience of a suicide of a close friend and bandmate. The confusion, the will to live that has disappeared and the feeling of being lost in a place where no one else can help you is highlighted in this song.
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“Mills has a varied vocal approach that rates among the song’s highlights. He does an excellent job bringing the admittedly dark lyrical content to life, embodying the struggle and pain without ever veering melodrama, and the focused writing is key to bringing that off.
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“The Sweet Kill’s stylistic reinvention on single “Closer” feels like the page ripped out of the book of self-mythology. Here, the singer appears in full vampire-rock-star regalia, beyond the law, untouchable and unsatisfied. The song provides the necessary cavernous atmosphere. Who is this Bruce Wayne character, really?”
““Closer” bridges the decades between the early days of post-punk and the now. You can hear elements of The Cure and Bauhaus reverberate through the taut brooding vocal performance, bass line and brisk percussion. The more personal lyrics and accessible melody and production fall somewhere between Editors and Fontaines D.C., lending the song an openness that’ll appeal to fans of pop and rock, not just post-punk.”
“By bringing in the heavier punk and gothic influence in the mix it manages to merge, mingle, and meld the genres in a melting pot that defies genre or era. Making something timelessly ambiguous and gloriously addictive.”
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