Belfast’s Kitt Philippa has spent a career refining their craft before releasing this year’s “You” EP, a beautifully atmospheric and emotional collection of sleek but hauntingly intimate numbers. One of the more introspective acts on the line-up, Kitt Philippa’s live sets are hypnotising and feel like seeing someone on the cusp of something fantastic. The production is majestic and totally spellbinding. And then she starts to sing…wowzers.
‘𝐘𝐎𝐔’ EP is out now; I hope this music brings you joy, I gave my best to every beat, this is my first release with Paragon Records; it houses singles ‘Human’ and ‘Grace’ and also includes ‘Lion’ and the title track of the EP, ‘You’. ‘Human’ is like a dear friend to me now — the refrain of the plea remains. ‘Grace’ is close. ‘You’ imagines. ‘Lion’ questions. I have worked so hard on these tracks and feel privileged to let them now be known by you. I am so fortunate to have worked with additional musicians to give the music its sound: ‘You’ is scored for horns and ‘Lion’ is coloured in by a string quartet.
thank you to Matt Duke who drummed, co-produced and recorded these tracks with me; to Jon Moorehead for mastering; and to my manager Charlene Hegarty. thank you for supporting, it means so much to me. KP.
Northern Ireland multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Kitt Philippa knows how to bare a soul and strip down to the raw fears and emotions inside. Channeling this brutal but gripping strength in their latest EP, You, they create a sonic oasis for burdened feelings and spirits in need of polishing. The title track, “You” is an electrifying piano ballad, coupling themes of loss and space in a fiery declaration of love. The just released visuals for the track are hauntingly beautiful, capturing the most human emotion of them all- pain
The camera wistfully hones in on the protagonist through intimate scenes of emotional distress and suffering. Philippa’s moving lyrics provide all the context needed for these scenes, with a brief moment of introspective clarity during the hushed confession “And I can’t stop loving you”. A turning point in the song’s composition, the video mirrors its slow build-up into a cathartic emotional release through the protagonist’s desertion of their car, into the accepting arms of loved ones. “You” feels like it’s been holding its breath until then, exhaling with a rush of thundering drums and longing harmonies. When speaking about the themes reflected in the video, Philippa shares that “absence, through the process of grieving, can seem like it is living: it gives way to love and care from other humans and adds to a complex infrastructure.”
Philippa poignantly sings from the heart of every lost, confused, or simply searching person. Making the emotional connections we sometimes can’t bring ourselves to make, they provide the context to every heart-wrenching moment.
“sparse, graceful, elegantly pitched wonder. There’s a beautiful mimimal soulfulness to her.”
– Jim Carroll, THE IRISH TIMES –
“one of the most interesting new Irish voices we’ve heard in aeons.”
– Celina Murphy. HOTPRESS MAGAZINE. –
“acoustic musings treading a genuinely charming balance between melancholy and optimism…”
– Brian Coney. AU MAGAZINE journalist. –
“I’m not sure there’s a music analogue to this. Out of time, not conventional, entrancing.”
The Fat Angel Sings 