Austin, TX-based psychedelic disco cowgirl, Kitty Coen, shares her second-ever single, “Lost in California,” which debuted via Wonderland Magazine, who calls the track a “neon-lit slow-burner.” “The rhinestone cowgirl takes us to the strip club in her sultry new track,” says Wonderland, “Picking up where Madonna’s Music left off (and starting a glamorous affair with the 70s somewhere else along the way).”
Describing the inspiration of the track, Kitty Coen says, “‘Lost in California” is close to me because I worked on it for years before feeling it was ready to release. It’s about picking up my life and heading out west to become a successful musician. But I came to find out, as glamorous as California seemed when I was growing up in small-town Texas, its a hustle living in LA and if you aren’t ready to put in work the city will eat you up. I wanted to combine that old Hollywood sound with palm driven grooves and electronic elements to show the complexity of California as a place and experience.”
The video drips seduction as soon as Kitty hops out of the passenger seat of a baby blue convertible with her long, crimped flaming orange hair and tasseled sleeves blowing in the breeze. We see the reflection of the sign for The Yellow Rose in her aviators, as she steps into a purple haze of the strip club. Glimmering lights, mirrors, and smoke swirl just like the dancers around the poles, as Kitty sings directly into the camera with her piercing stare. As the beat drops, we see a costume change and Kitty serves up some Jessica Rabbit realness — red sequined dress, old school microphone and all. It’s pure allure, and slow like honey.
The sex-positive energy of the song is undeniable. Wonderland says, “Continuing to stake her claim on the psychedelic country realm, “Lost In California” is a tune taking us to that very destination, and the strip club!” “Kitty Coen is the rhinestone cowboy after our hearts – and our ears,” they add, as old school Hollywood meets the strip club and the world meets Kitty Coen.
Photo credit: Annemarie Halovanic
Kitty Coen’s debut single, “Dark Soul,” is also out now. With a vibrant array of color and a personality to match, the alt-pop song comes to life in a very surreal way. A haunting rock ‘n roll energy combines with a fierce cowgirl vibe, placing Coen in a genre sways between electro-pop and alt-rock, carving out her own piece of the wild west of musical possibility.
Influenced by Tame Impala and STRFKR, the 22-year-old artist has a wavy and moody but strong approach to songwriting — an ambitious femme presence that lends to a spooky, otherworldly aura. Kitty Coen says, ‘“The vibe of the video is disco cowgirl realness. I wanted to take the viewer on a psychedelic trip through the mind of Kitty Coen. “Dark Soul” is a song about being in love or Infatuated with something at first glance because of its beauty but then realizing that nothing is as it seems.”
Sharing more on the importance of this song, as her debut, Coen adds, “This release of music is a coming-out party for tunes I’ve had in my soul for a while. As an artist who took some time to perfect her sounds, I feel that the music I’m putting out in the coming months is introducing my voice and style to the world. The stories and themes have been acquired over my life. growing up in a small Texas town I was exposed to a lot of country music and influenced my a western aesthetic, but this isn’t country, its more like Dolly Parton on an acid trip.”
She adds, “‘Dark Soul” is basically a warning label to any potential suitors who might think I’m all smiles and rainbows. Just because I seem sweet at first doesn’t mean I always am. Especially with relationships that don’t let me breathe. I’m an independent woman and if you want to be with an independent woman you have to accept one thing: they don’t need you. “Dark Soul” was originally a song I wrote on acoustic guitar in my friend’s garage. But as I performed it live I realized I wanted it bigger and ultimately better. I went to Nashville to work on it with my producer and we re-worked it into a western disco dance track.”
To capture this energy, the video opens with a sky that burns with orange hues, as Coen drives down an open highway as if starring in the latest Tarantino film, her fiery red hair echoing the colors in the sky above her, as she twists along the bends of the highway (fun fact: she learned to drive that manual muscle car in one day for the shoot). She parks, steps out in leopard-print pumps, and enters a smokey, neon world filled with bubbles, palms and glitter and burst of color. She also takes viewers for a dip in her pool and dancing, as lasers flash across a desert landscape. High fashion glam and attitude make this song and video the perfect balance of sugar and spice. Stay tuned for more Kitty Coen in 2020.
Photo credit: Zach Morrison
Bio:
Kitty Coen is a singer-songwriter based in Austin, TX. Kaleidoscopic and hopelessly romantic, Coen’s voice pulses through the listener and lingers with a haunting essence thereafter. Paired with booming bass guitar, energetic electric guitar, funky synth, and infectious drum patterns, Kitty Coen brings a fresh and fierce sound to the forefront of indie rock. Stepping out on the scene with her first release of the acoustic cover “Valerie” by the late Amy Winehouse, Coen shows her audience a rooted commitment to the classics, while maintaining a neo-psychedelic western blues sound unlike any other, with a disco fever and a twang to her tone. Kitty Coen’s debut single “Dark Soul” is out now, along with follow-up single, “Lost in California.”
