One night a little over a year ago, two young men burst into New York City’s Lower East Side mainstay Katz’s Delicatessen and held the joint up. Sort of. Brothers Isaac and Thorald Koren, musicians who, along with drummer Shakerleg, make up New York City band The Kin, were looking to rob ears, not wallets. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a musical robbery!” shouted Isaac as he strode in with Thorald on his heels strumming a guitar. The duo launched into an original song, “Downtown Train,” for the restaurant’s patrons, winning them over with their energetic performance, rich harmonies, and sheer nerve. By the end, the Korens had the restaurant’s unsuspecting patrons whistling and clapping along — no easy feat as anyone who’s ridden a NYC subway and tried to ignore a spectacle unfolding in front of them knows.

The Kin are currently capturing their impassioned delivery and gritty pop-rock sound in the studio, working with legendary producer Tony Visconti (best known for his work with David Bowie and T.Rex), as well as former Record Plant staff engineer Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith) and Nic Hard (Joey Ramone, The Church) to record the songs that will make up the band’s major-label debut album to be released by Interscope later this year.

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