Review: Totally, Literally could be your nostalgia album of the year
Written, Recorded and Produced by Jareth Leslie-Evans and Jourdain Vitiello (Kitten Heel)
Review by Rebecca Cushway
If you’re old enough to remember the bliss of finding “the perfect song” to set as the autoplay on your Tumblr back in 2011, then this could be your nostalgia album of the year. Totally, Literally is the debut album from Wollongong locals Kitten Heel, following up on the success of their 2020 EPs Club Dust, and I Love You Too, Man. What started as a vaguely new-wave project by two uni mates (Jareth Leslie-Evans and Jourdain Vitiello) has morphed into a sophisticated enterprise that perfectly balances that cookie-cutter indie-dance sound with a fresh Illawarra coast flavour. Totally, Literally follows in the same glittered, synth-heavy footsteps as Club Dust, but with a little more polish — taking the woes of young love and dance-floor drama and turning them into brooding poetry.
It’s hard to ignore the distinctly British indie sleaze influence throughout most of the album. Think Hot Chip, or Bloc Party’s looser and more upbeat tracks. A Bowie-esque drawl can be heard in the slow burn that is “Big as Life”, and a sunnier Alex Turner style sings atop a dance hit for depression in “Some Things Take Longer than Others”. A highlight of the album is the opening track “Animal Behaviour”, evoking the chaotic emotion of early Talking Heads yell-singing over percussive guitar riffs. “Moving People” is another winner, where spacey call-and-response vocals draw out any languishing teen who only dances in their room that could possibly be left inside you.
The album’s weakest link is its more melancholy tracks; “Entertainment” is a song that sounds half-baked, and the transition from melancholy ballad to dance number is spliced together with nought but a drum track. “Some Things Take Longer Than Others” also missed the mark, teetering a little too far into sulking territory and taking longer than other tracks to get to its point. The exception to this rule is the album’s underdog, “Hits Then Slows”, which sounds like the Arctic Monkeys wrote the soundtrack to Tron, in the very best way.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the genius that is the Ken Done-esque album art of Totally, Literally, which brings a distinctly Australian 80s sentimentality to an otherwise international reminiscence. This album is the epitome of nostalgia, whether it be for 80s synth or 00s self-pity. Kitten Heel have constructed a love dedication to the dancefloor, with a knowing wink at those who genuinely love to be there. So, if you need to indulge that urge of lazy teen rebellion, Totally, Literally can do just that from the comfort of your own speakers.
Stream Totally, Literally on Spotify, Bandcamp or wherever you get your music.
Kitten Heel are hosting a live album launch for Totally, Literally on 4 November at Waywards above the Bank Hotel, Newtown. Grab tickets here.
Cover art by Sarah-Marie Shaboyan
Rebecca Cushway is a radio host blessed with the most luxurious radio voice in the Inner West and burdened with the ability to do everything everywhere all at once. She’s not nearly as smart as the undergrads she tutors at UTS think she is.
This review has been generously donated by Bec.
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