By Marci Kiszkiel
Entertainment Editor

As I scrolled through Tumblr, blogging the night away, I came across the animated band Studio Killers and their single “All Men Are Pigs.” I’ve never been a huge fan of pop or techno music, which is why it was surprising that I loved the song so much.
It was apparent this was a song written for parties and dancing. It has a disco rhythm mixed with modern techno that creates a sound that makes it hard to sit still. Meanwhile, lead singer Cherry belts hilarious lyrics about the men in her life.
Even after listening to one song, it was hard not to love them.  The fictional group’s character designs alone, from the keyboardist fox with sunglasses, Goldie Foxx, to the blue mink DJ known as Dyna Mink, are enough attract attention. Not to mention the fun and fashionable chubby Cherry, as well the the rarely seen manager Bipolar Bear.
Although their videos are mainly computer animated, Studio Killers keeps a distinguished cartoon and corrupted style that compliments their quirky music perfectly.
I love this recent trend in pop where more artists seem to be creating distinct styles for themselves, and no one does it better than Studio Killers. They don’t take themselves too seriously, which makes for some fun lyrics and interesting concepts.
Cherry’s lyrics can range from meaningful like, “I wanna ruin our friendship, we should be lovers instead. I don’t know how to say this ‘cause you’re really my dearest friend,” in their single “Jenny,” to clever and amusing such as, “It’s futile to debate with St. Peter at the gate, made of protein milkshake low-carb intake,” in “Ode To The Bouncer.”
Despite these aspects, the band is only popular within a few European countries like Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark. However, this is due to the fact that the group produces their music independently and isn’t signed with any corporations.
Even more impressive is that fact that the band gained popularity simply by posting their music to various websites, including YouTube, which is where their single “Ode to the Bouncer” brought them success.
I’ve always been a huge supporter of artists that try to work without corporate sponsorship. It’s always refreshing to see quality music being produced for the sole purpose of writing good music rather than gaining commercial success.
Even without companies backing them, Studio Killers released their self-titled debut album in 2013, and for a debut album, it isn’t half bad. Not only does it include their claim to fame, “Ode to the Bouncer,” and one of my personal favorites, “All Men Are Pigs,” but it has a range of fantastic songs.
Soulful songs like “Friday Night Gurus” and “Funky at Heart” have soft vocals from Cherry but upbeat and fast beats from Foxxie and Dyna, while “Jenny” has a more 80’s feel to it that always has me out of my seat.
Of course, the album has no shortage of get-happy hits such as “Eros and Apollo,” which is not only great for dancing but with lyrics like, “Girls, with a boy like that it’s serious. Señoritas, don’t follow him, soon he will eat your hearts like cereals. Sweet lolitas, don’t go, you’re still young,” it’s not easy to keep the song out of your head.
Don’t get me wrong, the album isn’t flawless, despite what their song “Flawless” will lead you to believe. The song itself is basically a three minute loop of the same beat with a few piano keys added at the end while Cherry repeats, “How can you be so flawless?” over and over again.
“Tokyo” could have been done much better, too. The lyrics had potential, but the majority of the song is spoken in a robotic voice that leaves the listener unsatisfied with the lack of vocals.
Despite this, it’s great for a debut album, and since the group has already played a few live shows, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be disappearing anytime soon.
With the 2014 release of their new single “Grande Finale” and multiple live shows planned, Studio Killers seems to show a promising future, and I’m excited to see what they’ll release as they continue to succeed.