What began mainly as a solo experimental music project in 2016 has transformed into something much greater. Stevie Moonboots began recording as The Orange Kyte in 2016, with his intention being to release a new single each month over the course of the entire year. He soon began collaborating with various musicians on each release, evolving The Orange Kyte into a constantly changing, but fully formed group effort. In 2017, Moonboots and the revolving cast of Orange Kyte members would release their debut album, Grow It Right, which established their place in the psych scene and cemented the group’s current lineup.
Yesterday, March 16th, The Orange Kyte released their second studio album, The Orange Kyte Says Yes! on Little Cloud Records. Fans in the Pacific Northwest can also catch them live in Portland tonight, March 17th at the Doug Fir with Daydream Machine, Shadowlands, and longtime POW friends The Young Elders.
The Orange Kyte is described as “an exercise in boundless sonic tomfoolery with an emphasis on mind expansion and continuous evolution”. It’s a description which is a little “new age hippie”, a little hard to figure out, but sounds really cool when you hear it. And I think that’s perfect, because that’s a lot like how the The Orange Kyte Says Yes! sounds, too.
On tracks like “More In”, “Echolocation” and “Looks Like Me To Me”, the music becomes atmospheric, almost blending into the background like New Age soundscapes. These are your chill-out, take a few more hits and float away tunes. Alternatively, “Anti-Establishment Haircut”, “Blue Ghosts” and “Goats” (the album’s first single) showcase the bands penchant for darker, 80s post-punk psychedelia. All 3 tracks feature heavier guitars, layered synth and keyboards, drum machine fills and echo-laden vocals. Heavier in their sound and catchier in their writing, they show the tighter focus that The Orange Kyte has brought to their second release.
I have 2 favorite cuts on The Orange Kyte Says Yes!: First, “Elvis Shot JFK”, an upbeat amalgamation of psyched out dreampoppy garage with some killer keys and even some horns thrown in. It’s just plain fun, and when they really get going towards the end it’s impossible not to get caught up in the energy. And second, the album’s closer “PTR”, a beautiful psychedelic shoegaze tune that fluidly moves between sunny and melancholy throughout it’s 5 minute length and gives an extremely strong finish to the album.
The Orange Kyte Says Yes! shows a group that has matured and focused their creativity, hitting their stride on their second release and cementing their place in the scene.
Buy The Orange Kyte Says Yes! Here
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Written By Sheena Salazar for POW Magazine
sheenacheyennesalazar@gmail.com
