A unique and sincere songwriter with an expert ability to meld inspirations, eras, and sounds, Kitt’s music glimmers with a sense of timelessness well-earned after over 20 years immersed in music.
Set to land March 31st 2023 via RE:WARM, his ninth studio album ‘Idiot Check’ 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.
Following previously released singles ‘Wishing Well’, ‘Till the End’ and ‘Balances’, Kitt shares ‘Wishing Well’, which features special guests: Dylan Lynch of Dublin alt-pop band Soda Blonde on drums, and Katie Kim and Margie Jean Lewis on vocals: https://davidkitt.bandcamp.com/track/wave-of-peace
Speaking on the single, Kitt says:
“To begin with I didn’t think Wave of Peace really worked on ‘Idiot Check’, but I knew it was a great track in its own right, and a lot people’s favourite track of the bunch of material I had for the record. The label in particular were really insistent that it had to be on the album. As the last track on the album it works as an epilogue or coda a bit like in films when they do the six months later thing and suburbs are all leafy again and spring is in the air. Now that I’ve lived with it for a while, it feels like the perfect way to close the record and the upcoming live shows. It’s also one for fans of my early work. There’s a certain feeling of coming full circle with this track. It features some delectable drumming from Dylan Lynch of Soda Blonde, and swoony singing from Katie Kim and Margie Jean Lewis.”
ABOUT ‘IDIOT CHECK’ THE ALBUM
Produced and recorded by Kitt himself using his “Breaking Bad mobile studio set-up”, 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:
“The 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 what’s been a genuine purple patch for me.”
Blending acoustic and electronic elements with expert precision, the record showcases both the diverse circumstances of its inception and Kitt’s personal breadth as a songwriter and producer. Kitt adds:
“Many 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.”
Exploring a range of themes from the breakdown of relationships to socio-political issues and the absence of religion, ‘Idiot Check’ feels like a record that is undeniably current yet glints with a permanence that ensures its tracks will stand the test of time.
“My partner had moved home to Australia and my intention had always been to follow her,” says Kitt, “but Covid completely changed the situation and unfortunately our relationship didn’t survive the pandemic. You can hear this in the lyrics I suppose, perhaps most obviously in “Wexford Strawberries”.”
“”Not So Soon” was finished at the tail-end of Donald Trump’s presidency and in ways relates to recent trends of political and social polarisation. “Wishing Well” 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.”
From the fuzzy, lo-fi “Wishing Well” fluttering with a gentle sense of magnetism, to the infectious and upbeat “Not So Soon”, and jovial, traditional folk cut “Balances”, “Idiot Check” 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 “Wave of Peace” and regular collaborator Katie Kim providing backing vocals on several tracks including “Till the End”. In a real coup, he also managed to enlist the services of reclusive Canadian singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O’Hara on “Oh Folly”, with her vocals providing a spooky foil over the haunting track.
