Welcome to Episode 292 of the Hear 2 Zen Podcast.
Today, we are tackling a topic that has been absolutely blowing up the internet comments sections over the last few months. We are diving deep into the world of Stanley Simmons, the brand-new project comprised of Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons. As those legendary last names suggest, these guys are the sons of KISS co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Because of that rock royalty lineage, the band was hit with an immediate, massive wave of internet hate the second they announced the project.
Critics and trolls instantly rushed to accuse them of riding on their fathers’ coattails, purely because they chose to use their actual, legal last names for the band. However, the ultimate irony of this entire backlash is that the haters expected an arena rock spectacle filled with makeup, leather, and pyro, but what the duo actually plays is a world away from that. They are delivering organic, harmony driven folk rock, 1960s psychedelic pop, and Laurel Canyon songwriting traditions, proving right out of the gate that they have no intention of being a “Baby Kiss”
Ahead of their full album release this August,(produced by Rob Cavallo, famous for his work with Green Day and Fleetwood Mac,) the duo has rolled out four distinct singles that show off their impressive sonic range. They kicked things off with their debut single, “Body Down,” which relies on a driving, plodding riff born out of an alternate drop C# tuning, paired with rich, classic vocal harmonies and an atmospheric music video directed by Kuya and Shey Allen of Downhaus. They followed that up with the title track of the upcoming record, “Dancing While The World Is Ending,” an upbeat, melodic rock track with a massive, infectious groove accompanied by a Mitchell Richmond-directed video that features abstract imagery, leaving fans guessing if there are hidden nods to their fathers’ legacies. Next came “Temporary Love,” which shifts gears completely into pure, raw folk textures and a stripped-back acoustic focus; an awesome studio secret to share with the listeners is that the original guitar tracking for this song was actually done right into a laptop microphone sitting on a kitchen table. Finally, we have their newest drop, “Cellophane,” which is a full plunge into 1960s psychedelic guitar pop.
We delve into the music, the artists themselves and so much more. In fact we are bringing a completely interactive element to the screen by pulling up real user comments directly for everyone to see. We want to highlight the cynical keyboard warriors who claim they are just capitalizing on the KISS brand without allowing Evan and Nick to be judged on their own merits. This is where we want to open it up directly to the Hear 2 Zen community. We want you to drop your thoughts in the comments below and tell us if you think Stanley Simmons deserves this automatic, pre-emptive internet backlash, or if people need to shut up and judge them solely on the quality of the music.
Don’t Miss an Episode!
📺 Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and hit that notification bell so you never miss a legendary interview.
🎧 Listen on the Go: Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all your favorite podcast platforms. 📱 Get Social: Follow the journey by searching Hear 2 Zen on all social media platforms!
#Hear2Zen #Hear2ZenPodcast #StanleySimmons #EvanStanley #NickSimmons #NewMusic2026 #FolkRock #PsychedelicPop #DancingWhileTheWorldIsEnding #KISSArmy #RockHistory #MusicJournalism #SupportNewMusic #RockPodcast
