Review: Mr Kitty – 'Time'

MR KITTY
'Time'
NEGATIVE GAIN PRODUCTIONS / JUGGERNAUT MUSIC GROUP

Austin, Texas based solo project Mr Kitty (AKA Forrest Carney) has seen a big increase in exposure this year with the domestic and international re-release of his third album 'Life'. Most artists would simply ride the wave of fresh attention, but Carney is already back with his fourth outing, 'Time', which further solidifies his unique blend of catchy synthpop and chic witch-house that has characterised his “Dark Youth” series that began on the début 'Death'.

The double whammy of openers 'XIII' and 'Rats' gets things off to an aggressive start with hard beats and over-processed vocals giving the album a frantic kind of energy straight away. 'Glow' and 'Hollow' on the other hand revive the more melodic elements of the preceding album and let Carney's Neil Tenant style vocals shine through.

'Time' is one of those rare albums that is crammed full of songs, but utterly devoid of filler. Every track is strong in its own right and also compliments the LP as a whole. But Carney definitely comes into his own on the big tracks such as 'Devour', 'After Dark', 'Laceration', 'Black Truth', 'Hold Me Down', and 'Child Of The Earth'. None of them are “typical” sounding (as with all the tracks here), but each one is a sure-fired club hit.

The production on the album has a nice rough edge to it that stops the songs from sounding too pop, but neither do they get dragged into truly experimental waters. Instead the album sits nicely between the dark and light elements of the Mr Kitty sound.

It's hard to find fault with this album. Some may argue its not pop enough and some may say it could be darker and more experimental. But despite its often frantic energy and emotional melodies, it remains well balanced and well executed. 'Time' shows that Mr Kitty is a bright star rising and that he is confident and talented enough to strike out beyond the “Dark Youth” series.

Posted in: Mr. Kitty,music,Time