You know I recently saw a post in the Sounds and Shadows Facebook group regarding Girldustrial (not a sponsored post or thought but the playlist is now on Spotify) that’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Women within the industrial scene who are absolutely fantastic at what they do and if there’s a shortlist of artists who should be on that list Mari Kattman should be one of them. Releasing independently since 2016 Mari Kattman has only been getting better and better at what she does with what I call her most definitive form arriving in 2023 when she released the Swallow EP. Since then it’s just been banger after banger for the artist and her latest album Year of the Katt is another testament to her supreme reign.
Year of the Katt is filled with femme anthems that might make one or two people quote the infamous line “Shots fired”. One such track is the opening track Typical Girl which is an industrial pop dancefloor banger rife with production. Four-on-the-floor till you die styled track that’ll get you moving or, in my case, tapping your toes on the floor and bobbing your head as you sit in a chair. Sharp Shooter has some gritty and downright dirty electro beats with vocals that are almost mumbled matching the flow.
The song Take gave me an appreciation for Kattman’s vocal range as she keeps a mid to high vocal style for the song. The electronics are phenomenal blending elements of old-school synthpop a la the 80s and new wave (and I do mean as in modern new wave beat) whilst still maintaining her electro heart. A song to die for for sure. Ascending purposefully utilizes what sounds like morse code attempting to reach aliens from outer space in the beginning and throughout the track. Best way I can describe the beat on this song is seductive as if you just walked down the basement steps into a leather clad club with people grooving slowly and mingling and potentially getting a bit too close to one another.
Anemia gives us a clockwork beat that seems somewhat inspired by EBM. Each tick of bass is another hypnotic note that brought me further and further into the groove of the track. Little Bullet Girl sounds like something straight out of an anime but instead we get a song from Mari Kattman – which is arguably better. The song starts with with a low-key electro-riff that transforms into another heavy hitting electronic beat that feels like a whip. PunisHER gives some classic Kattman vibes by being the first song that really sounds like it belongs to the trip hop category. Smooth and serene yet aggressive at the same time.
The Worst dives back into some gritty industrial tinges whilst still maintaining a friendly club vibe as Take Myself Back begins with what sounded like a straight aggrotech opening. Thankfully, the higher pitched electronic notes did not lead down that road and instead gave me a powerful industrial pop ballad from Kattman. The last song on the album Pain gives us a final electronic number. My only complaint on this song is that I wish her grunts, such as the HEH and HAH (such as the ones around the 00:45 mark) were louder and more aggressive to give the song an unexpected pop. Something to look out for so on and so forth.
Mari Kattman is simply stunning no matter which way you put it. Musically she’s got production and beats down and I’ve used this album for simple joy rides to and from work to getting a gigantic, fat pump at the gym whilst deadlifting. This is pure energy output wrapped up in an industrial-synthpop-trip hop and overall badass electronic package. But what’s more important is that there’s an underlying theme and a powerful message in each song that’s enjoyable to listen to. One of Kattman’s finest works to date and something that’ll be on rotation moving forward. Just gonna have to pick out some tracks to put on me gym playlist indefinitely.
