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Alternative-folk act
This Is the Kit's rise to recognition was a slow and steady one. The name is essentially an alias for British musician
Kate Stables who, along with a cast of both regular and revolving contributors, has been creating a unique style of literate, rhythmic indie folk since the mid-2000s. Although early records were met with a modicum of support, it was 2015's critically lauded
Bashed Out LP that earned the group their first significant success. A major push from influential BBC 6 DJs and tours with
the National and
Iron & Wine brought
Stables' music to a wider audience who stuck with them on later releases like
Moonshine Freeze and 2020's
Off Off On.
Stables was born and raised in the English town of Winchester, and was absorbed by music at an early age, learning both trumpet and guitar. It was there that she met
Rozi Plain, who would become both a solo artist and a regular member of
This Is the Kit, along with
Jesse D. Vernon.
Stables moved to Bristol in 2003, and spent more time invested in music and less time on conventional jobs. It was there that she met many of the musicians she would collaborate with in the future, and also where she cut her first record,
Krulle Bol, with
John Parish (
PJ Harvey,
Sparklehorse) in 2008. She eventually made the move to Paris, and gave up other employment altogether so she could focus on her music career.
This Is the Kit got their first publicity boost when
Rob da Bank's Sunday Best Recordings label selected the track "Wooden Spoons" for their Folk Off compilation album. The song was received so warmly that the label then decided to release the track as a 7" single. Their sophomore effort,
Wriggle Out the Restless, followed in 2010, but despite the strong single "Spinney" and favorable reviews, it didn't really build up their profile. It would be five years until the tide turned for
Stables and company, but 2015 proved to be a breakthrough year for the band. The previous year they had begun to record what would become their third album with
the National's
Aaron Dessner. He recruited a number of notable musicians to come into the studio and work on the record, including his brother
Bryce, Matt Barrick (
the Walkmen),
Benjamin Lanz (
Beirut,
Sufjan Stevens), and
Thomas Bartlett (
Doveman,
the Gloaming).
Bashed Out was released in 2015 on
Dessner's Brassland Records label to widespread critical acclaim.
That year, the band received support from BBC 6 DJs such as
Elbow frontman
Guy Garvey, who hosted an episode of Music Box devoted to them. They toured extensively in support of
Bashed Out, and regularly supported acts like
the National,
Iron & Wine, and
Sharon Van Etten. Reuniting with
Parish, this time in
Stables' adopted home town of Paris, the band's fourth album,
Moonshine Freeze, was released in 2017 through
Rough Trade, again receiving widespread acclaim. Working this time with producer
Josh Kaufman (
Bonny Light Horseman),
Off Off On was written primarily while on tour with
the National and found
Stables reflecting on themes of travel and personal introspection. ~ Bekki Bemrose