Hailing from the industrial port of Wollongong, south of Sydney, the new single from Kitten Heel is a far from that gritty imagery as you can get. ‘Needs to Go’ is a bright, bubbly slice of sunshine that has a dreamy pace and delicate fragility about it.
This is very much a synth-centric track that splashes and circulates like a gargling brook with the vocals that are emotive and infused with a certain melancholic air. I am reminded of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark with the merge of arctic instrumentation and the warmth of the vocals, creating an ability to be both distant and enveloping.
Of the lyrical themes, the band says:
Achieving your goals takes a lot of work, it’s not easy but you’ve gotta just stop fucking around and do it. Then once you attain them appreciate it. Don’t just move forward without recognizing what you did to get there.
The accompanying video is a heart-swelling delight – a cleaner – dancer Lesley-ann Engle – sweeping through a theatre in her own world, where the music overpowers the mundane and transcends all else. Directed by band member Jareth Leslie-Evans, it is a joy to watch:
Kitten Heel have at its core Jareth Leslie-Evans and Jourdain Vitiello.
‘Needs to Go’ is out on 21 August 2020 through Viscera Arts/TY4 Records (pre-order here) and available will be on the band’s EP ‘I Love You Too, Man’ due later this year.
