It’s rarely a good idea to speak in universals, but I’d venture to guess that most people reading this have experienced a sublime moment. And by that I mean the instant when magic and mystery collide with the mundane and the world suddenly seems boundless. Most of us, I think, stumble haplessly into them, a fortunate confluence of time and circumstance. But the wiser among us actively seek them out; they sift through life’s minutiae searching for clues, keep their ears pricked for the possibility. Because you never know when the everyday rhythms of the universe will break into a mystical dance. Or, as newcomers KITS! describe it, the “magnetic moment when the ordinary becomes wondrous.”
The Atlanta quartet’s latest single, their third release overall, is a celebration of such moments. Comprised of Nicole Yakovlev (vocals, keys, guitar), Joey Kirby (guitar, synth), Rob Lamprecht (bass, synth), and Will Derr (drums, percussion), the band write adventurous pop music where every sound feels like a cherished memory. That’s especially true of “Don’t Forget To,” which spins their sparkling instrumentation and bright melodies into all manner of luminous shapes. From the opening notes, it’s a song that seeks to welcome you in and share its secrets with you. It’s warm and woozy, expansive and serene.
If that sounds like too much hippy dippy spiritualism for you, don’t fret. Sure, “Don’t Forget To” invites you to stare at the stars and float into the ether. But its elastic grooves and percolating hooks also urge you to partake in more earthly pleasures (“Worlds unfold while / We dance slow,” Yakovlev sings at one point). After all, this is a group whose name is short for Kids in the Sand, so the idea of playful wonder is, by all intents, baked in. Call it naive innocence if you want; for the members of KITS!, however, the concept runs deeper and more personal.
“Joey is always bringing melodies he tinkers around with to band practices and this one caught all of our ears,” Yakovlev explains via email. “Rob started playing these Vampire Weekend-type bass lines which guided the direction of some of the production. Will created a groove that fit tightly with the guitar and glued everything together. Out of it came a story of someone looking out and seeing a world of possibilities, drifting around in the stars, your mind wandering anywhere it wants. A melody came to me pretty quickly; I sat with these images and half the lyrics came together. I brought it to the band which sparked this connection to Joey’s grandpa.”
“My grandfather has always had a strong sense of wonder,” Kirby elaborates. “Traveling [and] living abroad, learning new cultures and languages, seeking knowledge [and] reading up on history, stargazing, etcetera. Over the past couple of years he has been struggling with dementia. In this time, his fascination for stargazing and the moon have only increased. He began to eagerly await the moon’s arrival, for us all to get a telescope out in the backyard and tell us his stories of the ‘lady on the moon.’ It’s in these moments that we feel like my stargazing-kick-@**-world-travelin’ grandpa is still in there, behind the fog. His sense of wonder still present.”
Stream the track below.
Recently, KITS! were forced to cancel their debut show at Boggs Social & Supply. But with their first record in the works and performances planned for the near future, there’s plenty in store for the fledgling outfit.
More Info
Web: kits.band
Bandcamp: kidsinthesand.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @kidsinthesand
Instagram: @kidsinthesand