Let’s talk about career crossovers, specifically in the entertainment industry surrounding celebrity culture. Sometimes they work incredibly well...take Gordon Ramsay for instance. Already a successful multi-restauranteur the world over with Michelin Stars to his name, he became just as famous as a TV personality as he was for being a serious, top-level chef, with programs like The F word and Kitchen Nightmares. Not bad for someone who grew up struggling in a working-class Scottish household. He’s actually an inspiration of mine.
However sometimes, let’s just say they don’t work so well. We’ll use Katie Price as an example here...the former glamour model shot to fame under the name Jordan in the early late 90's and was a household name for no more than having her puppies plastered all over page 3. The front page could be about 9/11 but, turn over for nipples, and all is right with the world. I digress. Despite this, she aspired for a career and business empire beyond her absurdly balloon-like breasts. She’s a published author, she’s released branded nutrition supplements, equine clothing lines, perfume, she’s released music with her ex-husband Peter Andre, appeared on several reality TV shows, she’s even stood for local election...and in 2024, she is facing bankruptcy. Her boobs maybe buoyant, but financially she just couldn’t stay afloat. What a tit.
Where does this tie us into today’s artist? Well back in 2021, world famous tattooist and TV personality KAT VON D released her debut album “Love Made Me Do It”, and we discovered that she was a woman of many talents herself. Despite scepticism following her earlier collaborations with THE 69 EYES etc, her full-length debut was genuinely impressive, housing Gothic aesthetics and lyricism under a thick layer of retro synth-pop, and it worked a treat. She was clearly just as comfortable in a recording studio as she was in a tattoo studio. 2024 finds Kat releasing her anticipated sophomore album via Kartel Music Group on September 20th, entitled “My Side Of The Mountain”. The question is, will this be more a case of Edmond Hillary, or Igor Dyatlov? There’s only one way to find out...
The album opens up with “Dead” and we’ve got a wonderfully slow build here. There’s some subtle autotune, and echoing reverb to the tone of the track, before things pick up with this drum-machine led, retro 80’s synth pop piece. The aesthetic is hammered home by the minimalist music video of Kat, alongside Sammi Doll and Brynn Route doing some aerobics. Nothing screams 80’s like some aerobics; imagine “Physical” by OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN but bleak. There’s humour in Goth’s doing aerobics, nothing screams sadness like keeping fit in spandex. The message is fitting though, as Kat sings of heartache and separation, and the video acts as a metaphor for her rebuilding herself physically and mentally, equal part exercising and exorcising demons. The anti-chorus of sorts works perfectly too, the emptiness or lack of substance musically representing her inner-self, and it’s wonderful.
In an almost juxtaposing manner then we have “Vampire Love”, where Kat seemingly yearns for a love and affection that she knows might not be healthy. Lyrics like “...Need someone to break me, come on in after dark and recreate me, take me from the light and baby tame me...” highlight a passion within her that’s unfulfilled. It reeks of desire, emotional and physical gratification and to a degree taboo and toxicity. The video again hammers this home with its prom-night presentation, and the odd-couples dancing. The sailor and the mermaid, the Martian and the astronaut etc., while they go together conceptually, they are polar opposites. All the while Kat is performing in a skeletal costume; emphasising her feelings of emptiness. The song itself is quite the slow jam; it’s got a mellow, delicately bassy feel with subtle underlaying funk and soul elements while retaining that throwback synth-pop stylistic for the chorus.
The album as a whole has plenty of highlights mind you. “H.A.T.E.” for example returns to the more up-tempo format of her debut instrumentally and it’s a catchy little piece. Lines like “Six hundred and sixty-six times I cried till’ my lips turned blue” give off young Ville Valo vibes, while the meat of the matter again delivers well. “H is for the heart of mine you break, A is for all you took away, T is for the tainted tears I taste, E is for everything I hate...about you”. It’s a very personal track full of bitterness, but it’s such a foot tapper. “With You” houses more modern dance-pop qualities that once again excel in their simplicity and the electronica shines here, despite its brief run time. It’s got an almost Eurovision quality to it and it genuinely leaves you wanting more.
A couple of notable points include the recent single “Por Ti”, which is performed entirely in Spanish. Translating as “For You”, here kat blends a sense of traditional Latino passion with electronic instrumentation and it’s an interesting dynamic, while “I Am A Machine” features ARCH ENEMY vocalist Alissa White-Gluz for easily the albums heaviest track. Alissa may not be tearing through the track as she normally would, but she provides an aggressively, growled dynamic that lends to an almost NINE INCH NAILS or STATIC-X inspired industrial-tinged piece. The album then eventually rounds off with a cover...sort of. “All By Myself” was made notably famous by CELINE DIONE back in 1996, but it was originally recorded by ERIC CARMEN way back in 1975, and here Kat wraps her vocals around a portion of it. It’s not a complete rendition, but it acts as more of a statement. It’s as if Kat is coming full circle with her sense of self, and her outlook on life; reflecting as she starts a new life of sobriety with her family. The recognition of isolation and what she wants from life at this stage.
“My Side Of The Mountain” may not have the instantly infectious tunes of its predecessor, but it’s shown growth both musically and personally from Kat’s perspective. It’s a real grower this album, and while on first glance you’d easily mistake Kat for being a feisty Goth chick ready to rock out with the best of them, there’s a tenderness and vulnerability to her that oozes from her song writing and delivery. Kat’s side of the mountain may have presented her with some obstacles and difficult terrain, but she kept climbing, and here on her second album, she’s reached the summit, and only she knows what adventure is next on the horizon as she reflects. She’s much better prepared for whatever is next than me climbing Pen Y Fan with a can of Monster and pack of Marlboro Gold’s at midnight, put it that way. [7]
However sometimes, let’s just say they don’t work so well. We’ll use Katie Price as an example here...the former glamour model shot to fame under the name Jordan in the early late 90's and was a household name for no more than having her puppies plastered all over page 3. The front page could be about 9/11 but, turn over for nipples, and all is right with the world. I digress. Despite this, she aspired for a career and business empire beyond her absurdly balloon-like breasts. She’s a published author, she’s released branded nutrition supplements, equine clothing lines, perfume, she’s released music with her ex-husband Peter Andre, appeared on several reality TV shows, she’s even stood for local election...and in 2024, she is facing bankruptcy. Her boobs maybe buoyant, but financially she just couldn’t stay afloat. What a tit.
Where does this tie us into today’s artist? Well back in 2021, world famous tattooist and TV personality KAT VON D released her debut album “Love Made Me Do It”, and we discovered that she was a woman of many talents herself. Despite scepticism following her earlier collaborations with THE 69 EYES etc, her full-length debut was genuinely impressive, housing Gothic aesthetics and lyricism under a thick layer of retro synth-pop, and it worked a treat. She was clearly just as comfortable in a recording studio as she was in a tattoo studio. 2024 finds Kat releasing her anticipated sophomore album via Kartel Music Group on September 20th, entitled “My Side Of The Mountain”. The question is, will this be more a case of Edmond Hillary, or Igor Dyatlov? There’s only one way to find out...
The album opens up with “Dead” and we’ve got a wonderfully slow build here. There’s some subtle autotune, and echoing reverb to the tone of the track, before things pick up with this drum-machine led, retro 80’s synth pop piece. The aesthetic is hammered home by the minimalist music video of Kat, alongside Sammi Doll and Brynn Route doing some aerobics. Nothing screams 80’s like some aerobics; imagine “Physical” by OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN but bleak. There’s humour in Goth’s doing aerobics, nothing screams sadness like keeping fit in spandex. The message is fitting though, as Kat sings of heartache and separation, and the video acts as a metaphor for her rebuilding herself physically and mentally, equal part exercising and exorcising demons. The anti-chorus of sorts works perfectly too, the emptiness or lack of substance musically representing her inner-self, and it’s wonderful.
In an almost juxtaposing manner then we have “Vampire Love”, where Kat seemingly yearns for a love and affection that she knows might not be healthy. Lyrics like “...Need someone to break me, come on in after dark and recreate me, take me from the light and baby tame me...” highlight a passion within her that’s unfulfilled. It reeks of desire, emotional and physical gratification and to a degree taboo and toxicity. The video again hammers this home with its prom-night presentation, and the odd-couples dancing. The sailor and the mermaid, the Martian and the astronaut etc., while they go together conceptually, they are polar opposites. All the while Kat is performing in a skeletal costume; emphasising her feelings of emptiness. The song itself is quite the slow jam; it’s got a mellow, delicately bassy feel with subtle underlaying funk and soul elements while retaining that throwback synth-pop stylistic for the chorus.
The album as a whole has plenty of highlights mind you. “H.A.T.E.” for example returns to the more up-tempo format of her debut instrumentally and it’s a catchy little piece. Lines like “Six hundred and sixty-six times I cried till’ my lips turned blue” give off young Ville Valo vibes, while the meat of the matter again delivers well. “H is for the heart of mine you break, A is for all you took away, T is for the tainted tears I taste, E is for everything I hate...about you”. It’s a very personal track full of bitterness, but it’s such a foot tapper. “With You” houses more modern dance-pop qualities that once again excel in their simplicity and the electronica shines here, despite its brief run time. It’s got an almost Eurovision quality to it and it genuinely leaves you wanting more.
A couple of notable points include the recent single “Por Ti”, which is performed entirely in Spanish. Translating as “For You”, here kat blends a sense of traditional Latino passion with electronic instrumentation and it’s an interesting dynamic, while “I Am A Machine” features ARCH ENEMY vocalist Alissa White-Gluz for easily the albums heaviest track. Alissa may not be tearing through the track as she normally would, but she provides an aggressively, growled dynamic that lends to an almost NINE INCH NAILS or STATIC-X inspired industrial-tinged piece. The album then eventually rounds off with a cover...sort of. “All By Myself” was made notably famous by CELINE DIONE back in 1996, but it was originally recorded by ERIC CARMEN way back in 1975, and here Kat wraps her vocals around a portion of it. It’s not a complete rendition, but it acts as more of a statement. It’s as if Kat is coming full circle with her sense of self, and her outlook on life; reflecting as she starts a new life of sobriety with her family. The recognition of isolation and what she wants from life at this stage.
“My Side Of The Mountain” may not have the instantly infectious tunes of its predecessor, but it’s shown growth both musically and personally from Kat’s perspective. It’s a real grower this album, and while on first glance you’d easily mistake Kat for being a feisty Goth chick ready to rock out with the best of them, there’s a tenderness and vulnerability to her that oozes from her song writing and delivery. Kat’s side of the mountain may have presented her with some obstacles and difficult terrain, but she kept climbing, and here on her second album, she’s reached the summit, and only she knows what adventure is next on the horizon as she reflects. She’s much better prepared for whatever is next than me climbing Pen Y Fan with a can of Monster and pack of Marlboro Gold’s at midnight, put it that way. [7]
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