Kitten – “Secrets” & “Mercury”

Kitten – “Secrets” & “Mercury”

Kitten have existed for a while, mostly in rather different iterations. So their 2018 return has been exciting, a band reemerging with a new sense of identity and purpose. That identity has, so far, been defined by retro-pop full of laser-focused hooks. In the first half of 2018, Kitten unleashed “I Did It!,” “Strange Embrace,” and “Pink Champagne” in the lead-up to an EP also called Pink Champagne. And now they’re already back with a double single, before all the sugary infectiousness of Pink Champagne had even worn off.

The two new singles are rather different from each other, but are also both logical continuations of what we heard from Kitten earlier in the year. First up is “Secrets,” which finds Kitten unashamedly veering into power ballad territory. There have been some torch song-type entries in Kitten’s past work, but here the group fully indulges the drama to pretty convincing effect. It comes complete with some swooping vocals from frontwoman Chloe Chaidez, booming ’80s drum fills, and even a guitar solo.

On the other side of things is “Mercury.” It’s a characteristically catchy outing from Kitten, a disco-laced piece of synth-pop that’s as gratifying as the band’s other dancier moments. In a way, Kitten have pulled a feint in packaging the two tracks together. While it initially comes across like “Secrets” is the heavier song, the glistens of “Mercury” run up against a narrative inspired by the divorce of Chaidez’s parents. There’s a melancholic tone that does run through “Mercury,” but in the end it’s the sound of an artist choosing to move forward, throwing a party to dance on the ashes of things lost. Check both of the new songs out below.

The “Secrets” / “Mercury” single is out now.

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