Fans Of Kate - 'EP' (Headwrecker Records)
4/5
By: Kari Wynn
Some of the indie kid-lettes in 'the circle' might remember Fans of Kate by their former (and some might say, cooler) moniker, Reagan. And though many could argue that changing names at the start of a burgeoning career is akin to shooting a founding band-member, Fans of Kate slap it on like a brand new Superman cape. Fear not, children or evildoers everywhere; it's still the same punch-drunk, punky keyboard-saturated, wall-of-sound-school love-in. Phew.
Kicking off is 'Tape 23', somewhat Strokes-y at the start but then devolving into a sonic hurricane, whipping itself into a frenzy and - by 'eck - dragging us along with it. 'A Pattern' slows the scene down a bit. Don't forget: these guys, for all their funky hairdo's and leather jackets, have a big, black bottomless heart. Standing soul-barren against a lone piano and begging whomever/whatever to 'airbrush me out again' - it rolls into a crashing soundwave, an angst-drenched soliloquy penned in teenage boudoir, but still poignant to a jaded, old 30-something. 'Keep Warm (The Do Do Song)' mops up afterwards - bearing a nice tip of the hat to the Beach Boys surfer anthems of yore.
Collectively, it's the kind of stuff that makes you view the new breed of emergents with a hopeful eye. Smashing.
Artists in this article: Fans Of Kate
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