Unified by a dedication to the tenets of solarpunk — a hopeful cousin of steampunk that envisions victory over climate doom — the artists contributing to Kitty Kant Collective’s first compilation are looking to the future. Kitty Kant has only been connecting the puzzle pieces for around a year, but they’ve managed to assemble a half-dozen-or-so artists for Volume One, many of whom have released prior singles or albums via the label. The prime drivers are the Winter Sounds (the longrunning moniker of Czechia/Louisiana-based Patrick Keenan), Cloud Physics (a synthy alternative project from Colorado), and Dizlerim Küpsis, an experimental Estonian composer and multi-instrumentalist. They formed the label, and at least one contributes to every song on the comp.
Befitting of such a release, each song varies, mildly or extensively, in texture and tone. The main element of their professed subgenre is the forward-gazing hopefulness. It manifests itself in the to-the-rafters chorus of “On the Outside” to the worshipful vibe and James Baldwin sample of “Never the Same.” Even a straightforward bubbling synth pop song like “Reaching Out,” featuring Maria Paglunov and Pink Soda, is emboldened by unspoken optimism. The compilation’s main outliers are the amusingly-titled “Harsh and Unmusical,” an eight-minute sample-heavy crescendo of blips, somewhat reminiscent of IDM, and “Astronaut Untethered,” a dreamy nine-minute reverie.
Volume One showcases bygone eras of electronic and pop, reminding me of something one would stumble upon while trawling a music blog full of .mp3 downloads. The exact boundaries of collaboration are blurry without any specific credits, but perhaps that is by design — the undivided final result is meant to be taken in whole. It’s a fun and ephemeral listen that will introduce you to an entire batch of new faces.
Written by Aly Eleanor
