Free Kitten Issue #36

Inherit (Ecstatic Peace)

By Katerina Herodotou
Published: August 1st, 2008 | 10:50am

I went to college in the pioneer valley of Massachusetts, and in 2003, Kim Gordon and Julie Cafritz, the two brains behind Free Kitten, guest DJ’ed at our radio station. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, because of their legendary musical status — playing in Sonic Youth and Pussy Galore respectively. Yet they chose to DJ under the Free Kitten moniker, even though more than nine years had passed since the band had first started playing and recording. Now, with Yoshimi from the Boredoms joining them again on drums, the band has released its new record Inherit, the first since 1997’s Sentimental Education. I’d like to think that this new offering will serve as a rocknroll primer for young women of the 2000s that missed Free Kitten’s first round.

Inherit isn’t revolutionary, as it doesn’t really depart from the musical histories of its players, but it is a post-punk tribute to women in rock. The fuzzy guitars are there, the PJ Harvey–esque yelping is there, even the crescendos of punk are there, reminding old fans and new listeners that alterna rock is still relevant. The tracks on the new record are dreary and touch a bit on stoner rock, but mostly they are powerful reminders that women can and do make rock music, and are a force to be reckoned with.

Gordon and Cafritz share guitar and vocal duties throughout the songs — never sounding bored or embattled, they bounce off of each other in a fresh way. The third track, "Seasick," starts out with a familiar rhyme about Sally selling seashells and progresses into hazy riffing. Fans of Sonic Youth will definitely feel the influence, as ’90s alternative rock rears its head throughout the record.

Inherit is a document not of progression, but of inspiration — a reminder that politics are still relevant in art and that creative energy can still inspire, even if its veteran creative energy inspiring fledgling novices in our current musical landscape.