Video: Kitten, ‘Memphis’

Kevin Bronson on August 16th, 2019

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Hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Kitten first emerged as the turbo-charged vehicle for singer-songwriter Chloe Chaidez. Even harder to believe is that the frontwoman is still just 24 years old and remains every bit the dynamo she was as a teenage terror. Submitted for your approval: the video for the new single “Memphis,” which is the directorial debut of photographer Tsarina Merrin.

From backyard to bedroom to bathtub to rooftop, Chaidez is typically all over the place (if you’ve never seen Kitten’s acrobatic live show, she has a penchant for climbing things). Kitten’s career has been like that, too; over the course of one full-length, five EPs and a slew of singles, the band has hopped around from shoegaze/dream-pop to pop to synth-rock to all the musical styles in between. Chaidez’s backing band now includes guitarists Dave Stagno and Parker Silzer IV, keyboardist Max Tsiring, bassist Blu DeTiger and drummer Rex DeTiger, all of whom serve as the frontwoman’s foils in the video. (Fun fact: Three-quarters of the band FIDLAR are former members of Kitten.)

All that said, “Memphis,” might be Kitten’s finest single yet. Chaidez purrs and chants the verses lickety-split as the bass line and squelchy synth ricochet in the background. The song is set in a motel in Memphis, but the singer dreams of other things: home, the future, a family. What’s the caller ID on your phone? Your past, your present or your future? Or all three?

“‘Memphis’ came about after a year of touring, switching coasts back and forth, and solidifying the friendships in the band,” Chaidez says. “It’s a song that questions the nature of home, and ultimately determines that it’s the people you love who give a place meaning.”

The song is the first from Kitten’s sixth EP, “Honeymoon Phase,” due this fall.

||| Watch: The video for “Memphis”