Hard rock rebels Vicious Kitty get very conceptual when they’re left to their own devices, and I don’t think their considerable buzz prepared me for what I was going to review this summer in their new LP Vicious Kitty. Just looking at the tracklist of Vicious Kitty alludes to a contemporary hedonism so many of their rivals have futilely tried to capture on their own. Peeking deeper into the contents of the record makes it clear we’re not listening to another underground dispatch in a year filled with as many studs as it is duds. From the achy howl of a quiet “Alone” to the brutish masterclass on alternative songwriting that is “Looking Glass,” this is an album made to stir a reaction out of listeners on the spot.
The metal-influenced sensibilities in this LP aren’t completely lost in the classic rock-style simplicity of the instrumentation nor the compositional wit, and this applies to tracks like “Bangkok City” and “Innocent Girl” the same. While there are certainly instances in which it’s quite obvious Vicious Kitty is trying to go off the rails and see just how much they can push themselves creatively, there are other seemingly dramatic moments (the pulsing “Spank Me” comes to mind) that are surprisingly barebones and inarguably pivotal to our appreciating the narrative at hand. Nothing is predictable about this band, and you can figure that out within the first fifteen minutes of this release.
This mix is made to preserve the deliberate gruffness of the instrumental tonality comprising the best parts of “Sweet Memories,” “No More Waitin’” and “Mr. Darkness,” and I like that it doesn’t sound plasticized as a result of this. Rather than trying to sound outside the box, Vicious Kitty just leaves the additional polish out of the mastering process entirely, thereby circumventing a litany of structural excesses always best left on the sidelines in any recording like this one. They don’t need a crash course in making the right decisions inside of a studio, and if that wasn’t the consensus before, dropping an album like Vicious Kitty should be just enough to set the record straight around the board.
Undeniably a more mature effort than I thought I might encounter, Vicious Kitty’s second LP is such a good release that it took me several different occasions of listening to its tracklist straight through to decide how I was going to break it down in this review. There are so many stories lying beneath the surface of this relatively unfanciful crossover rock/metal album, and yet there isn’t a single juncture in which it feels like it’s stacked with too much narrative for a proper release. Vicious Kitty should make the most of the momentum this self-titled behemoth of an LP is inevitably going to generate for their brand by hitting the road in support of its release, and when they come through your town, I recommend pulling up to see why they’re a band that indie critics across the country – myself included – are keeping a close eye on.
Claire Uebelacker