Rating: 4/5
The world of visual arts gave us Banksy, a mysterious graffiti artist who uses a distinctive stencilling technique and dark humour to critique modern life. Banksy’s iconic political and social commentary has appeared on walls and buildings around the world.
The music world now gives us Kadington, an equally enigmatic figure. There’s something fascinating about a hidden artist. That’s part of why Banksy has been so successful — no one knows who he, she or they really are. But I wasn’t sure a musician could pull off this smoke-and-mirrors approach. I couldn’t see how to create a personal connection with a piece of music without knowing something about the artist who created it. Kadington changed this. I am now totally convinced that Kadington will be the “next big thing”.
Kadington made his, her or their mark on the world by producing the official soundtrack for the highly anticipated Breakneck video game. This game was designed by world-renowned app creators, PikPok. Kadington’s soundtrack for Breakneck is raw and aggressive. In contrast, Kadington’s new EP is like being blindfolded and taken on a blissful journey through a musical forest.
The five-song EP offers a glorious insight into what a full Kadington album would be like. Seamlessly looping a solid body of sound with shimmering overtones, the opener “Candyman” perfectly introduces Kadington’s production style.
“The Rise and Fall” shows an edgier side to Kadington, serving as the EP’s punchy “club banger”. By the third track, “Town Hustle”, I was transcended into a side of Kadington that showed more euphoric production balanced with dark tones. This brooding power is decorated with upbeat and positive sound-bites, which make it really difficult to sit still while listening. “Ghetto Blaster” embodies a slower sound yet to be fully explored by Kadington.
The closing track “Breakneck” ends the EP on a resounding high note. This track reminded me of cutting serious shapes in an underground rave.
Don’t Kick the Cat has left me riddled with curiosity as to what will be featured in a full-length Kadington album. Unlike many homogenous, ode-to-David-Guetta dance albums, each song on this five-track EP has a distinctive and exploratory production style. I am eagerly awaiting what this new enigma on the block will come out with next.