Genre-bending Irish musician and producer David Kitt‘s ninth studio album Idiot Check is set for release on 31 March 2023 via RE:WARM. A unique and sincere songwriter with an expert ability to meld inspirations, eras and sounds, Kitt’s music glimmers with a sense of timelessness well-earned after over twenty years immersed in music.
His ninth studio album ‘Idiot Check’ sees the artist tap into a diverse range of influences once more, emerging as an ambient and atmospheric record that puts an eclectic experimental spin on traditional folk music.
Produced and recorded by Kitt himself using his “Breaking Bad mobile studio set-up,” the album was written between 2016 and 2022 in Dublin, Paris and eventually the remote town of Ballinskelligs in south-west Kerry, where the artist moved during the pandemic and has stayed ever since. As Kitt explains:
“The lack of environmental noise and distractions, and being 30 seconds from the Atlantic Ocean all created the perfect environment to get the job done. It still continues to be a source of great inspiration, succour and the principal driving force in what’s been a genuine purple patch for me.”
Blending acoustic and electronic elements with expert precision, the record showcases both the diverse circumstances of its inception and Kitt’s personal breadth as a songwriter and producer. Kitt adds:
“Many of the songs were started in a pre-Covid world, but when Covid happened it gave the half-finished songs a new hue as if they were from some former version of reality, and this led to all sorts of creative inspiration that was quite unexpected. The pandemic gave everything the quality of a remote dream that was somehow really healthy for my imagination and made finishing them much easier and more creative than expected.”
Exploring a range of themes from the breakdown of relationships, to socio-political issues and the absence of religion, Idiot Check feels like a record that is undeniably current, yet glints with a permanence that ensures its tracks will stand the test of time.
“My partner had moved home to Australia and my intention had always been to follow her,” says Kitt, “but Covid completely changed the situation and unfortunately our relationship didn’t survive the pandemic. You can hear this in the lyrics I suppose, perhaps most obviously in ‘Wexford Strawberries.”
The record sees Kitt joined by a number of special guests including Dylan Lynch of Dublin alt-pop band Soda Blonde on drums on ‘Wave of Peace’ and regular collaborator Katie Kim providing backing vocals on several tracks including ‘Till The End.’ In a real coup, he also managed to enlist the services of reclusive Canadian singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O’Hara on ‘Oh Folly’, with her vocals providing a spooky foil over the haunting track.
David Kitt’s inconspicuous debut album ‘Small Moments’ was a slow-burn collection of lo-fi recordings that crept up on the record-buying public in 2000, helping to re-establish vaunted indie label Rough Trade in the process. Breakthrough success followed in 2001 with second LP ‘The Big Romance’ and in 2002 Kitt even appeared at the David Bowie-curated Meltdown Festival in London.
Follow-up album Square 1debuted atop the Irish charts in the summer of 2003 and Kitt’s initial success aligned him with a then-burgeoning scene of radio-friendly indie and folk breakthrough acts, including David Gray, with whom Kitt has regularly toured alongside as a supporting musician.
Quickly broadening his sphere of influences, next releases ‘The Black and Red Notebook’ and ‘Not Fade Away’ saw Kitt traverse everything from optimistic, MPC-driven hip-hop to melancholic funk and the more traditional, yet still ambitious, folk of his heritage.
A long history of supporting and then playing with acclaimed rock group Tindersticks lead to Kitt officially joining the group in 2010, and in 2017 he released ‘From Night to Night’, his debut album under the alias New Jackson. He’s DJed at some of the world’s most celebrated clubs and festivals, including Berlin’s Berghain and the forward-thinking Belfast festival AVA. As a remixer, he’s also provided memorable edits for major pop and dance artists including The XX, Mano Le Tough and Shit Robot.
Idiot Check is set for release on 31st March 2023 accompanied by a tour of Ireland and the UK. Pre- order his album HERE and see him on tour on the dates below.
David Kitt Live Dates 2023
March
01 CORK Opera House*
02 WEXFORD National Opera House*
04 DUBLIN National Concert Hall*
05 DUBLIN National Concert Hall*
07 LONDON Union Chapel*
31 CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach
April
01 BOURNEMOUTH Bad Hand Warehouse
02 BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds
03 MANCHESTER Yes
04 LEEDS Headrow House
05 NEWCASTLE Cluny 2
06 EDINBURGH Sneaky Petes
07 GLASGOW Nice N Sleazy
15 DUBLIN Whelans
20 GALWAY Roisin Dubh
21 CORK Coughlans
22 WATERFORD Electric Avenue
23 DUNDALK Spirit Store
29 BELFAST The Duncairn
30 DERRY Echo Echo Dance
May
05 LEAP Connollys
06 KILKENNY Cleeres
11 BRISTOL The Love Inn
12 BRIGHTON The Great Escape
13 BRIGHTON The Great Escape
14 SHEFFIELD The Yellow Arch
17 LONDON Jazz Cafe
27 BALLYCOTTON Sea Church
*supporting David Gray
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