By: Josh Kitchen, January 23, 2025
If you've been lucky enough to see Niis (pronounced like "nice") live since they burst onto the LA punk scene in 2019, you know you've witnessed one of the most exciting, ferocious, heavy, and dynamic new bands to emerge in the past decade. Their live shows are an adrenaline rush, with frontwoman Mimi Doe prowling the stage like a street-walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm—to borrow a phrase from Iggy Pop. Doe's presence is towering and commanding, and she's joined by Ryan McGuffin on guitar, along with Izzy and Jonathan Salvo on bass and drums. Niis' music is loud and dangerous, with thrashing guitar and drums perfectly complementing Doe's smooth vocals, which alternate between melodic crooning and guttural screams.
Doe's singing style helps set Niis apart from many of their contemporaries; her voice is unique, and her singing meshes seamlessly with the heady subject matter found on tracks like "Utopia" and "Crazy." Niis has released just over a dozen songs since "180," their debut single from 2020, but with each new release, the band has made massive leaps forward in both style and technical prowess.
"180" and "Slaughter" paved the way for their biggest track so far, "Fuck You Boy," released in 2021, which set the tone for the band’s critique of a male-dominated and sexist music scene. "Fuck You Boy" has become an epic call-and-response moment during concerts, with Doe often asking the audience members moshing in the pit to make way for a female- and queer-only pit. It’s this kind of welcoming ethos that makes Niis so exciting and vital at a time when these voices are intentionally being silenced by people in power.
It’s at this juncture that Niis announces their debut album, Niis World, set for release on March 28 via Get Better Records. Along with the album announcement, the band has released their new single, "Low Life," accompanied by a music video directed by Meriel O’Connell (of fellow Paladin band Slaughterhouse). They also announced a spring U.S. tour kicking off on April 16 in San Francisco and concluding with a hometown show at the Teragram Ballroom on May 16.
"Low Life" is a brutal banger, building slowly with each verse as it chugs along in a forward progression that reminds of the Go-Go's. McGuffin's playing is strong and dynamic, accompanied by Doe's restrained vocals—until all hell breaks loose with biting lyrics like, "How was it for you? / It was bad for me / All the girls you pursue / Dream of what you couldn't do." It’s this kind of savage songwriting and wordplay that sets Niis apart—low-lifes beware.
Pre-order NIIS WORLD here and get tickets to their 2025 tour!
Another great piece! I love how you link the band's songs. Great work.