Elin from Kite Thief guides us through their debut EP ‘Ambiviolent’, out this Friday (December 15) via Year Of The Rat Records.
The Tide
“For me, the meaning of ‘The Tide’ has done a total 180. I was at such a low point when I wrote the lyrics, but I didn’t even really notice it at the time. Of course I knew that I was struggling, but now, almost 2 years on, I look back and feel so sorry for the girl that felt this way.
This song originally had the working title of ‘Biggest Riff in the World’, because, c’mon, it’s a huge riff. Now that I’m in a different place, that’s exactly what it is for me now. It’s a relentless & cathartic song that is just so fun to play live. It’s come full circle for me, and I now appreciate it in a whole new light.”
Goldsick
“‘Goldsick’ is such a fun song. It might not sound like it, lyrically, I mean. The lyrics are pouring out hatred for my ex and the situation he’d left me in. But it doesn’t remind me of that at all.
Last year, we embarked on our first ever ‘writing retreat’. We booked an AirBnB in the middle of nowhere and turned it into a full-on studio. We made sure the place had a hot tub, that was a must, and after a night of setting up and drinking wine in said hot tub, we wrote this song. It was about 12am and we titled it ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’
At this point, we already had ‘The Tide’ and ‘Judge Judy and Executioner’, so we wanted to try something a little different, something a bit more fun where we didn’t take ourselves too seriously, and being in that chilled out collaborative environment we did just that. It’s become such a nostalgic song, each time we play it live, I just can’t help but smile.”
Judge Judy And Executioner
“‘Judge Judy and Executioner’ was one of the first songs Max and I started working on when we knew we wanted to release an EP. I think it was the first time we experimented properly with different sounds and vocal deliveries. I was going through a horrible break up and I was bitter and angry, we wanted to portray that but in a really fun way. The whole time we wrote this song we had the phrase ‘tongue in cheek’ in our heads – we knew we wanted this track to sound sarcastic and energetic, despite all the anger that went into writing the lyrics, and I think we managed to do just that. This is definitely my favourite song on the entire EP.”
Shush
“Ever been in a situationship? You know, the ones where you know it’s not going to work out in the long run, the ones where you both say ‘I don’t want anything serious’ but secretly you’re plotting in your mind how you can ‘change that person’ or how they will come around.
Well yeah, that was me at the time of writing ‘Shush’. And it’s no shade to the person I was dating at all, this track is an absolute call out on my own behaviour. The games, the tactics, the longing for someone to love me, even though that person isn’t ready. And part of me indulges in it, revels in the chase. It’s a very strange and self-destructive place to be in, but I know people will relate to it via their own experiences.”
Ambiviolent
“We had this one in the works for ages. It had multiple different versions, we played around with riffs, structure, synths, outros, the lot. But it didn’t properly become what it is today until we got in the studio.
We knew we wanted an epic outro to match the anguish of the lyrics, to portray the confusion and frustration we feel trying to navigate the world we live in, in the state that it’s in, whilst in our 20s, a time that is always sold as ‘the best time of your life’. When in reality, it’s tiring, we are skint, and we work our lil butts off every day to try and find meaning.
This song is part of our search, & Joe Marsh (who produced and mixed the whole EP) made that come to life. Joe & I worked on that outro way into the late hours, adding layers upon layers of vocals, harmonies, all sorts. We played with this track so much, at its peak there are 55 separate layers of vocal going on. I’m so proud of this one and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
You can presave or preorder the EP now.