Genre-bending Irish musician and producer DAVID KITT has announced his ninth studio album âIdiot Checkâ set for release on 31 March 2023 via RE:WARM.
A unique and sincere songwriter with an expert ability to meld inspirations, eras and sounds, Kittâs music glimmers with a sense of timelessness well-earned after over twenty years immersed in music.
Set to land next Spring, his ninth studio album âIdiot Checkâ sees the artist tap into a diverse range of influences once more, emerging as an ambient and atmospheric record that puts an eclectic experimental spin on traditional folk music.
Produced and recorded by Kitt himself using his âBreaking Bad mobile studio set-upâ, the album was written between 2016 and 2022 in Dublin, Paris and eventually the remote town of Ballinskelligs in south-west Kerry, where the artist moved during the pandemic and has stayed ever since. As Kitt explains:
âThe lack of environmental noise and distractions, and being 30 seconds from the Atlantic Ocean all created the perfect environment to get the job done. It still continues to be a source of great inspiration, succour and the principal driving force in whatâs been a genuine purple patch for me.â
Blending acoustic and electronic elements with expert precision, the record showcases both the diverse circumstances of its inception and Kittâs personal breadth as a songwriter and producer. Kitt adds:
âMany of the songs were started in a pre-Covid world, but when Covid happened it gave the half-finished songs a new hue as if they were from some former version of reality, and this led to all sorts of creative inspiration that was quite unexpected. The pandemic gave everything the quality of a remote dream that was somehow really healthy for my imagination and made finishing them much easier and more creative than expected.â
Exploring a range of themes from the breakdown of relationships, to socio-political issues and the absence of religion, âIdiot Checkâ feels like a record that is undeniably current, yet glints with a permanence that ensures its tracks will stand the test of time.
âMy partner had moved home to Australia and my intention had always been to follow her,â says Kitt, âbut Covid completely changed the situation and unfortunately our relationship didnât survive the pandemic. You can hear this in the lyrics I suppose, perhaps most obviously in âWexford Strawberriesâ.â
ââNot So Soonâ was finished at the tail-end of Donald Trumpâs presidency and in ways relates to recent trends of political and social polarisation. âWishing Wellâ relates to the void left by the decline of religious institutions and what we turn to in the absence of faith and superstition. These are the themes that recur throughout the record on both micro, personal levels and macro, societal levels. The record also explores the defiant necessity of the creative act against the backdrop of its apparent folly.â
From the fuzzy, lo-fi âWishing Wellâ fluttering with a gentle sense of magnetism, to the infectious and upbeat âNot So Soonâ, and jovial, traditional folk cut âBalancesâ, âIdiot Checkâ is an evergreen album as experimental as it is ageless.
The record also sees Kitt joined by a number of special guests including Dylan Lynch of Dublin alt-pop band Soda Blonde on drums on âWave of Peaceâ and regular collaborator Katie Kim providing backing vocals on several tracks including ââTill The Endâ. In a real coup, he also managed to enlist the services of reclusive Canadian singer- songwriter Mary Margaret OâHara on âOh Follyâ, with her vocals providing a spooky foil over the haunting track.
With âIdiot Checkâ confirmed for release on RE:WARM Records in March 2023, stay tuned for more news and releases from Kitt in the coming months.
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David Kittâs inconspicuous debut album âSmall Momentsâ was a slow-burn collection of lo-fi recordings that crept up on the record-buying public in 2000, helping to re-establish vaunted indie label Rough Trade in the process. Breakthrough success followed in 2001 with sophomore LP âThe Big Romanceâ and in 2002 Kitt even appeared at the David Bowie-curated Meltdown Festival in London.
Follow-up album âSquare 1â debuted atop the Irish charts in the balmy summer of 2003, and Kittâs initial success aligned him with a then-burgeoning scene of radio-friendly indie and folk breakthrough acts, including David Gray, with whom Kitt has regularly toured alongside as a supporting musician.
Quickly broadening his sphere of influences, next releases âThe Black and Red Notebookâ and âNot Fade Awayâ saw Kitt traverse everything from optimistic, MPC-driven hip-hop to melancholic Arthur Russell-esque funk and the more traditional, yet still ambitious, folk of his heritage.
A long history of supporting and then playing with acclaimed rock group Tindersticks lead to Kitt officially joining the group in 2010, and in 2017 he released âFrom Night to Nightâ, his debut album under the alias New Jackson. Throughout his expansive career, Kitt has attracted praise from the likes of NME, Louder Than War, The Irish Times, The Guardian, Golden Plec, Pitchfork and more. Heâs DJed at some of the worldâs most celebrated clubs and festivals, including Berlinâs Berghain and the forward-thinking Belfast festival AVA. As a remixer, heâs also provided memorable edits for major pop and dance artists including The XX, Mano Le Tough and Shit Robot.
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