ALBUM REVIEW: The Klittens – ‘Have A Heart’

After reaching the curmudgeonly 30-year-old threshold, I’ve felt dangerously close to slipping into “yells at cloud” territory when it comes to today’s bedroom recording artists. Partly from the unlimited, feed-infiltrating means at their disposal to get themselves out there, and a personal aversion to any socials made after Tumblr. But I’m not quite there yet, thankfully.

After his and Meg’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Jack White said exactly what The White Stripes did almost three decades ago now. To find a “little room” and “get obsessed.” It’s wishful thinking in the age of the algorithmic slagheap, yet it still made myself (and, with some luck, a whole lot of current teenage music fans) hopeful that the DIY idea of picking up instruments with your friends and making what you feel will never die. Passion creates creativity: the two things likely to produce outstanding art for those that keep the grit in their teeth, and to iterate indie music for as long as we can.

That’s probably why strange alternative rock always manages to get its popular ‘moment’ every decade. REM once became the biggest rock band in the world, then Nirvana, then The Strokes. In the UK at least, we had Arctic Monkeys. If people wanted intentional and slightly scrappy imperfection then, they certainly will now. It’s a great place to occupy, and The Klittens are mainstays in a Dutch indie revival scene that could be on the edge of its own larger moment.

Alongside a wave of bands from Personal Trainer to Pip Blom, the Amsterdam five-piece has revelled in punky sensibilities before channelling their stripped-back catchiness in art-rock forms we have seen this side of the Channel as of late. It’s hardly surprising then that they’ve shared the stage with lo-fi chiptune champion Alex G and exuberant gnarly pep-punk band Otoboke Beaver, and now unveil their first full-length after a string of persistently unconventional indie numbers.

Speaking of the Arctics, it’s interesting to see drummer Laurie Zantinge’s inspirations between Favourite Worst Nightmare and “random new wave stuff I downloaded for my dad on Limewire,” both things that seem obvious in their approach to taking simple riff ideas into stranger territories. The opening title to Have A Heart squeaks with feedback against the cleaner-channel guitars, building momentum to a scream-worthy middle eight that makes their Sonic Youth comparisons clear (absolutely no mean feat for any band to attempt to recreate.)

A similar bopping bass-riff underpins Their House’s take on unaffordable rental situations (muchly relatable), while the direct Nothing To Teach features the high-necked twinkling we loved in ‘07, and its droll gang refrain of “the end… of… life!” counters Yaël Dekker’s assertion that “nobody likes a cynic!” Dekker’s vocals can be outwardly sardonic like these examples—also with “show me your bank account / wanna know how bad I’m missing out”—while on Triple Threat, her “I’m underwaaaaater” delivery achieves its intentional dreamy quality. It’s mirrored in the track’s patient instrumental for two minutes before the singer materialises out of thin air.

Of course, with lo-fi-ness being the main draw, there’s plenty of handmade charm in The Klittens’ catalogue. From claymation music videos and inspiration from kids’ shows (which surely lives with us all; shout out to Tots TV), Zelda has a wonderful hand-clapped section and lead licks into some strong a capella. Its main discordant bass captures the atmosphere of Nintendo’s ‘underlying threat’ sound in their games that are usually a giant, comfortable blanket. There’s even a mistake in Fool Me Once that possesses the feel of a garage practice session, not to its detriment. Out of all the cuts here, Taxi is the band’s mission statement—each instrument commanding its own corner, sounding blissful together, taking the Built To Spill playbook of making basic fuzzed riffs into something more epic, playing off into the distance as Dekker morosely states “don’t need anybody…until I do.”

The idea of ‘humans doing their thing’ will not go out of fashion when such bands keep tinkering with the format. As The Klittens offer here, there’s ample experimentation in constructing interlude ideas against two-minute rockers and songs with loftier ambitions. Underlying it all is a commitment to the fun of being a musician, and here’s hoping they continue making the sounds of practice spaces reverberate outward with further recognition.

For fans of: Sleater-Kinney, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Horsegirl

‘Have A Heart’ by The Klittens is released on 25th September on THK / Cargo Records.

Words by Elliot Burr