Concrete Playground Meets Kittens Of The Internet

Lauded Auckland songwriters Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Katie Scott are Kittens Of The Internet. On the eve of their debut, self-titled EP being thrust into the world, we sat down with the Silver Scroll-nominated electro-pop duo to find out more about the project, their new single 'Bitter', how Channel Orange slots into the KOTI narrative and beating the shit out of your inner critic.

Could you get us started by telling us a little about yourselves? 

Well I'm in love with Jennifer Lawrence, when she was cast in The Hunger Games I was beyond stoked 'cos I love that fantasy, adventure, drama stuff. I also love that TV show The Good Wife because it makes me feel smart by association. I am easily muddled and annoyingly naive which is no doubt frustrating for my friends and family but also for myself when it comes to navigating the rises and pitfalls of the music industry. There are some days when I'm feeling really creative and enjoyably challenged but then there are days when it's hard yakka trying to self-manage, create and work numerous part time jobs to pay the bills, whilst occasionally filtering the questions people ask about why I bother to put myself in a financially unreliable career to live a seemingly unattainable dream (to make music). You have to learn to filter those questions 'cos a lot of the time I think people are more concerned about your mental health. But they don't see all the good times that unfold behind the scenes and naturally there are ups and downs for any freelancer. It's all part of the ride. I feel very lucky to do what I do. My life is constantly enriched by a passionate, talented, supportive community. Even though I am constantly challenged and learning and there are hard days, it's all outweighed by the friendships, creative outlets and magic of being a performer, singer and writer and so I consider myself very fortunate.

Mahuia makes music on a daily basis for films, TV, or in collaboration with other musicians, alongside collaborating and producing Kittens Of The Internet. He doesn't drink coffee, yet he is incredibly productive and this segways into me explaining that I can't tell if he has any vices. My weakness is Belgium biscuits, I will travel across town to get them. But I don't know what his kryptonite is. Another thing about him is his annoyingly skilled trait at multi-tasking to the point where I wouldn't be able to function anymore, it's a fine thing that he can do that but god damn that ease. So yeah, nothing bad to report there. Just an all round talented friend who produces beautiful compositions and arrangements.

How did KOTI form?

Mahuia and I meet at an audio engineering suite back in 2013 when he came into compose a track for a television commercial. At the time I was making coffee as the in-house barista. I sung on the commercial, then we hung out and listened to a lot of music and shared what we liked, and then he played a track he'd be composing and asked if anything came to mind when listening to it. I had written a rough verse and chorus to 'Living The Dream', which was written in a tongue and cheek style about the 'grass is always greener' perspective (highlighted by Facebook posts and hastags) and Mahuia's composition sparked the melody. So he recorded my vocals down over his track then began creating a soundscape of ideas playing around with different chords and finding instruments that compliment the vibe. It was inspiring and magical to be apart of and that was the first song we wrote together.

Around that time, Mahuia introduced me to Frank Ocean's Channel Orange album. He blasted 'Bad Religion' out of his home speakers on a Sunday afternoon. His place is surrounded by pohutukawa trees that engulf the property and whilst listening to this track I felt so still and sad. I resonated with the story even though it would mean something totally different to Frank Ocean than what it did for me that day. That really spoke to me and I could tell it had effected Mahuia as well. I love how music can instantly bring back a memory for you or take you away for a moment. Channel Orange is one of my favourite albums to contemplate or chill too. I find his writing heartfelt and poetic with so much swag. I really admire, respect and envy those traits in a songwriter. And his vocal range is insane, well to me it is anyway.

So I feel like Kittens came into existence around the time of listening to that album and feeling inspired and wanting to create something special that resonated with us. 

I love your music, there's very little like it coming out of New Zealand at the moment. I've heard it called dream-pop, how would you guys describe it?

Katie: I would have described our sound as dream-pop if we kept making tunes in a similar vein to 'Living The Dream'. Maybe 'Bitter' and 'Lights Are Low' have dreamy elements but 'Golden Lights' and 'Panther', they are both further afield, maybe 'new romantic'. I remember when I first joined Twitter I just wrote 'KOTI-Alt-Dream' for our Twitter name but I think that becomes your URL and then you're stuck with it.  

Mahuia: Defining music is always a tricky thing, it's not something you always think about when you create it. I guess we can leave it up to you….

Mahuia, you've done a lot of work scoring ads, including perhaps the most iconic New Zealand ads of all time (Ghost Chips). Do you think producing pop is where your future is or will you continue to dabble in both? 

One of the most exciting parts about music is the colours and sounds that make up each different style or genre. I get buzzed trying to understand why a certain piece of music affects me in a certain way....it's always been important for me to be as diverse as possible, growing up playing the violin and listening to Mai FM lead me to producing records (Maisey Rika) to writing film scores (Mahana and Housebound) and arrangements for string quartet (The Black Quartet). I've always loved 'pop' music or whatever new music is being created because the genre is constantly evolving, new combination of sounds and use of technology. I'd like to write those kinds of songs all day but that leaves no time for all the other amazing music.

What inspired the song lyrics on your new EP? Do you sit down and think 'right I have to write a song' or it it a more organic process?

Katie: I would say our first song 'Living The Dream' came about very organically. The other ones were created in intrigue. What else could we produce together? I really enjoy songwriting and find pleasure in playing with lyrics putting them together like a puzzle, I love driving alone and having ideas flow freely without any pressures to create, then record ideas down on my phone. I enjoy the writing process even more when you have another person to bounce off. Especially when you start vibin' over a melody and then suddenly you're in this other-worldly zone. It's not something that happens suddenly and organically all the time. Some days you have to discipline yourself by placing time aside and just writing and singing until something hits, but then, once you've re-entered that headspace, that's when the cool stuff happens. 

Could you tell us a little about your new EP and explain the concept behind it?

Mahuia: It's a really sonic thing for me when creating music, 'Living The Dream' was a good experiment and we wanted to keep going and see what happened and this is the result. The concept behind it is derived from sounds that we like in an attempt to create songs that are not totally throwaway.

Katie: All the songs resonate with us about the pressure of modern day life and figuring out who you are when surrounded by those whom you think the grass is always greener for. It's potentially a little bit of the view the under dog. I guess the best way to explain those moments are to take some lyrics and talk about em, like with 'Golden Lights'. 

'Romanticise about our lives but keep home and heart in mind', sums up that although it's enjoyable and human nature to dream about having nice things. It's important to remember where you came from and practice being present. 

Could you give us a little intro, and explain the imagery for around the video for 'Bitter'?

The director Luke Sharpe and I have a combined love for the cinematography of the American TV show True Detective and I think the way that show is filmed, the colours and feeling of defeat for the characters, I think it may have sparked the idea for this video. But you'd have to ask him about that. 

Lyrically 'Bitter' is about too many worrisome thoughts in your head giving you insomnia and making you a little insane. That feeling is played out in a very literal way in the video. A masked character attacks me, he is representing the inner critic in my head, those dark negative thoughts that repeat on high rotate when you're feeling vulnerable so when he knocks me down it's relating to how dark thoughts can get the better of you and break you. In the storyline I fight against those unwanted thoughts, then at times I just make a run for it but eventually I find a way to face my demons, whether that's storing them away in the boot of a Mustang or burying them under boxes. Symbolically though, I guess she (me) hasn't resolved the inner critic issue, she's just momentarily stopped it.

The debut, self-titled EP from Kittens Of The Internet is out now. Check it out here.

Feature image by Sacha Stejko.