In addition to Helix, her duo with Assemblage 23's Tom Shear, singer Mari Kattman has been going solo for the last decade. Having collaborated in the past with Mesh, Psy'Aviah, Ivardensphere, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments and Neuroticfish, she easily admits to the difficulties she encountered in completing Year of the Katt, her third album: taking sole charge of composition and production, she wanted to take the time to master these aspects as well as possible so as to be satisfied with her work.
It was worth it, to say the least, and the progress made is immediately apparent. Mari Kattman has gained in power and asserts herself more than ever, while the EBM-esque binary rhythm of Typical Girl gives her synthpop/industrial mix a new nervousness and effectiveness. Mari Kattman's previous albums were more atmospheric, and to find her in a more hard-edged vein is not only a welcome breath of fresh air, but also relevant to her subject matter: ‘Who's gonna love you now?’ she asks, in what she describes as a rejection of misogynist clichés. The same can be said of Sharp Shooter: simple melodies that stick in your head, vocal lines that easily seduce us, catchy rhythms... Mari Kattman has the formula for a string of tracks that are both easy to like and hit the nail on the head, in a style that reminds us of early Ayria or, more recently, Kanga, somewhere between pop and darker influences.
What emerges from Year of the Katt is an impression of constant efficiency. Each track offers an idea, a variation on the artist's skills. We let ourselves be caried away by Take, with its futuristic, cyberpunk EBSM edge that softens on the chorus, by the restrained menace of the hypnotic Anemia and The Worst, and by the liberating but bittersweet choruses of Little Bullet Girl and Take Myself Back. Somewhere between protest and melancholy, Mari Kattman wraps her album in contradictory yet harmonious emotions, infusing her anthems with the extra soul that brings her music to life and creates an emotional connection with her listeners.
In the end, Year of the Katt's greatest strength is its constant energy. Mari Kattman lets her music breathe with a few more atmospheric passages (Ascending, PunisHER), but there's always an underlying tension lurking in the shadows, a taste for industrial darkness that gives these pop tunes their depth. If you're looking for a dose of dopamine to give you a boost, something uninhibited and heady to get you sweating this summer, something that's easy to like but has enough rough edges to give it personality, start warming up: you're going to waddle.
