Spring break is coming up pretty quickly, and while many will be leaving Columbia to go home or on a vacation, some people will be staying here. If you’re looking for a good show, synth-pop artist Kitten will be making a stop at Rose Music Hall on April 1 at 9 p.m.
Kitten has opened for artists including Young the Giant, The Neighbourhood and Charli XCX. After the release of its eponymous debut LP in the summer of 2014, four of the five band members left Kitten to pursue other interests. Frontwoman Chloe Chaidez ended up having to take up the endeavor on her own, and while it seemed like a difficult task, she proved successful.
Kitten’s new EP, “Heaven or Somewhere in Between,” was released earlier this month and “was inspired by a lot of ‘90s British bands,” Chaidez says.
The EP is reminiscent of a more electronic version of the classic alternative group, The Cranberries. Chaidez also credits Prince and David Bowie as some of her primary influences.
As far as lyrical themes go, Chaidez explains that the EP is centered on the idea of spiritualism. With song titles such as “Church” and “Heaven,” it seems self-evident that divinity is a major theme on the EP.
“A lot of the lyrics have to do with the relationship between you and whatever your God is and how that plays out into your life,” Chaidez says.
Chaidez also mentions that the creative process for “Heaven or Somewhere in Between” was a very secluded, but pleasant process. They weren’t distracted by technology whatsoever and could focus solely on the music being written.
“We went to a ranch in a small town in Nevada,” Chaidez says. “We wrote all of the songs there and it was a very secluded, cabin-like situation. It was really great. We had no phones or Internet.”
Their single from the EP, “Fall on Me,” gives off a new-wave vibe, but stays true to today’s trends and technology in music, which makes it sound more modern. It is accompanied by a cinematic music video, shot completely in black and white, and captures scenes at a beach in Malibu and a graveyard.
“The director, my management and I just put it together in a couple of days and styled it,” Chaidez says. “I think a lot of the look comes from styling. We went to Malibu to the beach and we went to a graveyard and we just went from there.”
Kitten is about to embark on a headlining tour to support the new EP. The tour includes dates at both St. Louis’s Firebird and Kansas City’s Tank Room before they come to Columbia.
“We’re playing SXSW and a festival in Phoenix and working on the second full-length,” Chaidez says. “We’re working on the second record now and it’ll come out soon.”
_Edited by Katherine Rosso | [email protected]_
