Katsen – It Hertz!

After eight years together as Katsen, Donna Grimaldi and Chris Blackburn finally issue their debut album. Lead track Let’s Build A City is screwball electro, all strange and desperate male/female vocals and squealing eighties TV programme synths. In fact it sounds very much like a demo for some synthtastic computer game crossover from the eighties. Chequered Flag is a girl doing a robotic dance rather badly to Chuckie Egg. It kinda works though. Cactus raises the bar higher, minimal frozen girl electro pop at its best. Island In An Island plugs a hoover and a Gameboy through the synth and conjures up a rather disorientating little squiggle. The album dips a bit in the middle, as repetition sets in and ideas run out. The German Film Star cover and instrumental title track rescue things a bit and the last thing of note is Constellation, where they are a budget Kraftwerk. Half a good album, but a darn good half.

Let's Build A City is available as a free download from the label site and It Hertz! is out now on Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation

Katsen myspace is here