Kitty Little / Scientific Maps
Split [7-inch] (2010)
Brian Shultz
Kitty Little and Scientific Maps split a 7" here with a bonus track apiece to make for an enjoyable and fresh EP.
Kitty Little bustle with jaunty, Superchunk-y indie rock/pop. Their longest cut, "Milkshakes" goes four minutes but wields thoughtful, crunchy guitar work with plenty of unpredictable direction changes. The noisier, mid-paced bump of "Ghost" more or less goes the Jawbox/Fugazi route, although the higher-pitched vocals occasionally feel a little grating on this bonus cut.
Scientific Maps have a lower-fi, stomping jangle pop sound on "Oh You'd Like to Think So" I'd lazily point to the Beatles as inspiration for. Or, at least, acts around that era or shortly thereafter. It's tendered by a light, effortless flow and some smooth brass. The other two songs, "The Demons Bite" and "Here Comes Jen and the Awful Distractions" have more of a Zombies vibe, especially the latter, but retain some of the band's own wistfulness and bite through the mid-tempo, acoustic shuffle of it all.