Space Kitchen are a Canadian duo comprised of Rob Howell who contacted me for this review and Robbie Carvalho, who has previously recorded with The Killababes. They describe themselves as bringing a blend of progressive pop & psychedelic sounds, and there is definitely a 60’s vibe to much on display here on their debut self-titled EP.  

As I have stated on the site before, as someone who is not a musician himself, I can only have a distinct admiration for artists such as these two who are capable of writing, performing, recording, editing, and producing a project such as this, and especially with an infectious feel-good groove as the outcome. There are seven tracks on the EP, all under the five-minute mark, so if you only like your music of the epic 2112 variety, then this is probably not for you, but if you like the shorter form, then here we go.

Opener is The Arrival, and from the word go, you will hear what I mean by the 60’s vibe, especially in those parping keyboards and Beatles-infused moments in a song which I believe tells us of a prodigal son returning home. Some of the basslines especially are impressive, and the piano at the end (“that’s pretty good”) is suitably grand. Fun.

I Love You Baby is up next, a song which reminds me a bit of the period Blur & Oasis both tried to fuse the spirit of the 60’s with their post-pop era, a sort of pub pop/rock track with the innocence of this type of music. The guitar solo reinforces this and is very effective in its execution.

Zoo Keeper is short at 2:22. I like the bass groove on this and the mellotron chords above the main action and the keyboards are very good on this track I have embedded below, an interesting blend of classic progressive rock with a New Wave feel before a trancey loop at the end – it could have been longer, and is a good indication of the potential there is in Space Kitchen.

Moving Picture is the longest track on the album weighing in at just over six minutes long. To start, the keyboards and the bass try to bring an overture feel but are perhaps a bit too sparse to be wholly successful. They work better as the song progresses, and again I really like the bass played as a lead instrument with a strong lead produced. The keyboards are well played, especially the piano and there is a prog epic wanting to burst out of this. I like the rather dystopian turn the guitars take before we get an interesting change to something which wouldn’t have sounded out of place on some of the more outlandish space acts of the 70’s.

Next, we have Squig, which I believe is a reference to a blob-like creature in Warhammer. This is a very short song and has the sort of vibe Bruford felt (rightly) he was so unfairly panned for in Five Percent for Nothing. This is my favourite track on the EP, and it is also embedded below – there are some really interesting ideas in this, and I really do want to hear how the duo develop this type of minimalist music going forward.

Sun Tower follows and the opening segment is a clear nod to Yes in the period prior to Fragile. The bass riffs are brilliant, as they are throughout the EP. When the voice is introduced, we have about as opposite of Anderson as it is possible to get, though and the track develops into a pure psych overload. When the mid-section ends, the feel of it brightens considerably moving into the closing segment and I really like the “Rise, Sun Tower” sequence with its soaring keyboards. The closing chords are wonderful.

The closer is Pain Goblin. After the dreamy opening segment, we get a strong guitar solo accompanied by some great synths. As the track develops, it is both playful and menacing in turns, and you do get a sense of the eponymous creature. I do like the throbbing bass, ticking percussion, and Wright-induced keyboards at the end.

I like this EP. There is more than enough here to suggest that Space Kitchen are worth keeping an eye on for future releases, especially if you are into the trippier element of progressive music, and there is a rawness (they describe it as “garage prog”) which I like. Not all music is as polished as a Steven Wilson production and thank heaven for that. Their Bandcamp page is at https://spacekitchenband.bandcamp.com/album/space-kitchen