Killer Diller is one of the many phenomenal ska bands out of what may just be America’s greatest ska scene- the Michigan scene. So many amazing ska bands are coming out of Michigan, and they all have their own original sounds and influences. Unlike many other scenes based around locations, the Michigan ska bands don’t really seem to coalesce around a sound. Despite often playing shows with one another, and all of them seemingly being on great terms with one another, and constantly hyping each other up, they don’t really seem to have a consistent theme for their sound. Killer Diller describes themselves as “skasteady” and as “trad ska with some detours”, and I can definitely get behind both descriptions.
Killer Diller debuted their first EP in 2023, followed it up with another EP last year, and, on March 6, released a cover song as a single. That means, over the course of 2 years, 2 EPs and a single, the 12 piece gang from Michigan still has fewer songs than band members.
Here, the band released their first cover song as a single of the 1981 British new nave hit, “Don’t You Want Me”, originally by The Human League. Killer Diller does a phenomenal job of taking control of the song from the very start. The big crashing cymbals and drums, the horns taking over the iconic rhythm, all laid over a trad ska rhythm make this song a perfect cover for the band. The vocals being split with masc and femme vocalists, but not in the traditional masc vs femme dynamic of the original is outstanding. Honestly, I love this version of the song.
In addition to this new single, Killer Diller is also going to be hosting Ska Thursdays at Batch Brewing in Detroit, where they will be hosting ska bands on the first Thursday of every month throughout the spring and summer. While the list of bands is not yet public, it will feature several bands from across the country and even from outside the US. This is a band you definitely don’t want to sleep on, so go get hooked with a familiar cover, check out their original songs, and if you are in Michigan or even from Ohio or southeast Ontario, go see Killer Diller live on the first Thursday of the month!
Written by Gimp Leg
