It took a lot of effort to review Kate’s Party, not because it’s a bad effort, but simply due to its uninspiring nature. It’s rare that a band creates a feeling of pure indifference, but this particular release is so middle-of-the-road, I struggled to find the words to sum up how I felt towards it.
Sounding a bit like Blood Red Shoes with a more nostalgic vibe, Kate’s Party are formulaic indie. Their by-the-numbers approach to ‘Hollow’ makes it impossible to find much of note. I tried to listen to it, but after a few repeat plays I was desperate not to hear to it again, not because it’s shockingly bad but because it’s unbearably boring.
A lot of the songs on ‘Hollow’ have a similar 90’s retro-pop vibe, which gives it a dated feel. Using near-identical drum and riff patterns throughout, many of the songs are indistinguishable from each other, which makes ‘Hollow’ grow old fast.
After repeat listens, I also took a strong aversion to the way certain lines were delivered; the call-and-response at the end of ‘Paper & Glue’ is so limp and watery sounding that it killed any emotional impact the rest of the song may have had. The over-emphasis on the words “stay” and “play” throughout ‘Pockets’ is also jarring to the ear and quickly becomes irritating. There are some pretty dreadful lyrics here too, and it’s hard to find any band endearing who drop clunky lines such as “persuaded you to validate my ego, draw my scaffolding and killed my credo” and “I’m a loose cannon trapped in a three-door car” into songs.
While there’s little to be positive about, the Pixies-esque opening of ‘Cougar’ is a highlight, at least before it transforms into a torturous break-up song with terrible rhyming lyrics such as “you said it’s just not worth it, it was completely perfect”. The guitars driving ‘Picture Me’ are also on-point; in fact it’s safe to say the instrumentation of Kate’s Party is miles stronger than the song writing and vocals.
Twee and dull, while their formulaic approach to indie-pop may be for some, Kate’s Party are certainly not for me. ‘Hollow’ is an unbelievably apt titled for this effort.
1/5
‘Hollow’ by Kate’s Party is out now.
Kate’s Party links: Website |Facebook|Twitter |Bandcamp
Words by Jay Sullivan
