Kait Kunzman shines on her solo Debut Single, “Love Like Lithium”
Kait Kunzman is not just half of 18th & Addison anymore. As of Friday, August 13, she’s officially a solo artist.
That’s right. On August 13th, the bright blue haired singer dropped her first single as a solo artist entitled, “Love Like Lithium”. And all props go to her on this one. She wrote, and self produced the track, and she even played the live bass on the recording. How awesome is that?
“Love Like Lithium” seems to pick up exactly where 18th & Addison last left us — at the crossroads of pop rock influenced synth pop and deep, dark thoughts. As on 18th & Addison’s last single, “Broke Down in Babylon”, Kait takes control of the vocals with her quiet, refreshingly cool confidence that builds towards a power hitting chorus.
Clocking in at 3 minutes and 42 seconds, “Love Like Lithium” feels very reminiscent of 18th & Addison last two releases (their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams’’ and their latest single “Broke Down in Babylon”). “Love Like Lithium” continues with the synth pop sound 18th & Addison were beginning to perfect. Lyrically, it feels a bit like the epilogue to “Broke Down in Babylon”. As you may remember, “Broke Down in Babylon” is all about being trapped in this state of despondency. “Love Like Lithium” speaks to coming to terms with that state of despondency and rising up against it. But according to Kait , “Broke Down in Babylon didn’t influence LLL at all, but I don’t doubt that any of my songwriting/experiences from other projects could come through without realizing.” She also admits that a common theme to both songs is that the “ lyrics do relate to being in a dark place and trying to find your way out of it”.
Musically, “Love Like Lithium” follows in step with the same style of pop rock influenced synth pop vibe 18th & Addison were letting their fans sample. Kait’s voice really shines in the synth pop genre and opting to go in that direction for her solo debut was a smart choice.
But make no mistake, “Love Like Lithium” is not just another synth pop song. It’s different. And that’s what makes it so powerfully addicting. “I really wanted to branch out and sink my teeth into my love for synth pop and just pop music in general,” Kait said. And that is clear from the onset. The song opens with a playful guitar loop that feels very early 2000s MTV bubblegum pop rock. A fun, bouncy, light beat picks up on the guitar as a series of don’ts reverberate in the background as the track emerges into a synth pop paradise. Then Kait takes over the mic and begins to say what she has to say with a cool confidence. Kait sings with a pure innocence while she muses over some negative memories. “You keep me up at night with secrets you won’t tell,” Kait quietly and confidently sings. “I’ve got pockets full of memories and my back up against the wall, and if this is how it’s gonna be, I don’t wanna see you at my door.” At first, it’s hard to tell who or what Kait is singing about. The lyrics are extremely ambiguous. But it doesn’t matter because the song builds on itself. The song is unveiling a series of events that will lead to the main event. And if you can’t guess what the main event is, well, I’ll let you in on a secret, it’s the chorus.
The chorus on “Love Like Lithium” is everything. It’s the moment when the song really takes hold. It’s the freak out-let it go moment that the first and second verses were leading up to. It’s a cut from the song you could imagine hearing on the radio. It’s full of the catchy up tempo rhythm that makes this song so memorable. But most of all, the chorus contains the single most powerful line in the entire song — “I don’t wanna love you anymore,” Kait cries over and over on the chorus as repeated don’ts reverberate inside the chorus. It’s intense. It’s the kind of line that leaves us hanging on, wanting more. But Kait never really gives us more lyrically (aside from “you break me down, you had my heart” ) because that would detract from the importance of the main lyrics “‘cause I don’t wanna love you anymore”. And those lyrics are what this song is about — not wanting to “love you anymore”. Lyrically, the entire song comes down to that one line. The entire song is about not wanting to “love you anymore.” And it’s perfect.
Interestingly enough, there is no mention of the song’s title in the song. Perhaps it’s a metaphor. Like lithium, the love the Kait is thinking about is flammable and reactive and this is the result — this song. Or maybe it’s something else. But whatever the title refers to, everything about Kait’s uniquely crafted synth pop debut is a total hit.
*“Love Like Lithium” was written by Kait Kunzman and mixed and mastered by John Rupp at Soundmine Recording.
