by LATEEF MARTIN

Purveyors of urgent rock with the kinetic energy of At the Drive-In and Radiohead, Kamikaze Baby are set to raise the stakes for the double-0 seven. Although only an EP, Identity Crisis turned out to be one of the best local rock records of 2006, homing in on delusion, wasted chances and self-destruction. A tight album and Internet savvy (with little help from the press) paved the way to a sold-out show at Kola Note and tours in Ontario and the Maritimes.

“Identity Crisis was just that,” explains songwriter/singer/guitarist Rob Scalia. “We knew we were a band that was somewhat unsure about how to fit in. So we decided we were going to exploit that. The EP was dark, energetic, groovy, sometimes complicated but with a fractured beauty to it. The new album is going to be a lot different, a lot more personal and emotional—coming to terms with our own lives while still trying to make sense of the world around us. More honest and unfiltered, given that we no longer feel like we have anyone standing in our way.”

Scalia, with a little help from their engineer/producer/sparkplug Coco (who plays with Scalia’s brother in Fly Amanita), guitarist Derek Orsi, bassist Angelo Ruscitti and drummer Giulio Pampena are busy writing and recording material for the aforementioned new album. “We’ve made our mistakes, taken some hits on the road and, unfortunately, have lost some band members along the way. But our last tour in Ontario, in September, was actually the most successful. It made us realize that despite all the hardships of touring in a van, we were getting through to people. Oddly enough, we’ve never felt as kamikaze about our baby as we do right now.