By the late ’90s, the emo underground was well into its second wave—full of jangly guitars, confessional lyrics, and DIY aesthetics. But just outside the spotlight, in sun-soaked San Diego, a band called Kill Holiday quietly dropped a shoegaze-infused curveball that almost no one saw coming. And two decades later, it’s finally getting its due—thanks to our community of rock detectives who unearthed a hidden gem in our latest Dig Me Out listener poll.
From Hardcore to Hazy
Kill Holiday wasn’t supposed to be this band. Vocalist Steven Andrew Miller came from Unbroken, a straight-edge hardcore band with clenched fists and shouted manifestos. But when Kill Holiday started in 1994, things shifted. Slowly, then all at once. By the time Somewhere Between the Wrong is Right arrived in 1999 via Revelation Records, the band had traded breakdowns for reverb, distortion for delay, and hardcore aggression for post-punk yearning.
And yet, this wasn’t typical shoegaze either. Beneath the shimmering textures and swirling guitars was something more dynamic—more intentional.
“It doesn’t sound like a 1999 record. You could say it’s emo adjacent, but it’s pretty different. It sounds like nobody else in particular… putting pieces and parts together in a way that is their own.”
Kill Holiday’s fusion of sounds recalls the moody introspection of the Psychedelic Furs, the melodic melancholy of The Smiths, and the layered, woozy guitars of Ride—all glued together by a post-hardcore backbone.
Mood Over Movement
What makes the album stick isn’t just its influences—it’s how committed it is to its aesthetic. This is a record that bathes in atmosphere. Guitars phase and shimmer like heat mirages, vocals float in distant reverb, and drums (shockingly for shoegaze) hit hard and often.
“There’s a dark romanticism to the vocals and lyrics versus a ‘let me open my diary’ feel.”
This isn’t emo in the eyeliner sense—it’s more reserved, more elegant. Think slow-burn heartbreak rather than shout-it-from-the-stage desperation. And that subtle emotional tension? That’s where the record lives.
A Little Too Much of a Good Thing
For all its sonic strengths, the album overextends itself. At nearly an hour across just 10 tracks, the length becomes a hurdle—especially with several songs stretching past the seven-minute mark. The mood never falters, but it doesn’t evolve much either.
“This is a classic case of: it works way better at 42 minutes than it does at almost an hour.”
Interestingly, the vinyl version trims two tracks—“How Sure Are You” and “Something Borrowed, Something Blue”—cutting nearly 15 minutes and creating a more focused experience. The songs themselves aren’t weak, but their absence on vinyl reveals a sharper, more replayable version of the album.
A Vote for Discovery
Kill Holiday’s win over Social Distortion in the listener poll felt like a surprise—and a minor triumph for curiosity. This wasn’t a vote based on name recognition. It was a community listening closely and taking a chance on the unfamiliar.
“Shoegaze, alternative rock, emo sounds—one of the best Revelation Records releases.” – Richard Waterman
This is the heart of what Dig Me Out does best: elevating the albums you never knew you missed, the ones with no Wikipedia pages or viral TikToks. Just music—moody, beautiful, and waiting to be found.
Somewhere Between the Wrong is Right may not be a game-changer, but it’s undeniably its own thing. A perfect record for rainy Sunday mornings or midnight drives, when you’re not looking to feel everything—just something.
“It’s a sound I want to spend more time with. The more you listen, the more it gets in your veins.”
Songs in this Episode
Intro - Somewhere Between the Wrong Is Right
11:49 - Someday You Will Lose and I Will Win
18:21 - Know You Your Friends Are
Outro - In Closing (Memorial Day)
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