Kittywinder - "Wishing Well" 7"

Kittywinder – “Wishing Well”

Zero Hour, 1994

Acquired: Love Garden, Used, 2008

Price: $.50

 

There is a time and a place for (mostly) all-girl indie pop, and that time is right now and that place is in my ears. I would have also accepted “All the goddamn time” for the first part of that answer. Kittywinder have the sweet melodies of Tiger Trap but they’ve got a hefty dose of Sleater-Kinney’s snarl to temper the cuteness factor. “Wishing Well” is a pretty damn good, by the books mid 90s riot grrrl pop track, but it’s the b-side “Narrow Canal” that makes me really love this 7”. “Narrow Canal” has spoken verses that, a chatty punk chorus and a whole lot of sexual innuendos involving a big boat and a narrow canal and whether said boat can fit in said narrow canal. It’s funny and bratty, with its tongue digging into the side of its cheek. I like that they could have put another catchy track on the b-side but went full weirdness instead (in my head, I keep saying “‘Narrow Canal’ is like ‘Liar’ by Rollins Band for feminists”). According to Allmusic, the group hailed from New Hampshire and were initially named Motorpussy, which is TOTALLY fitting. Sadly, the group fell victim to the post-grunge fallout and disbanded shortly after the collapse of their label Zero Hour. But not before releasing a full length, 1996’s Livres des Monstres, which I do declare I’d like to hear. This 7” comes on beautiful translucent vinyl which is very aesthetically pleasing.

Check out the obscenely 90s video for "Wishing Well" right here. (The video is the last of four incredibly 90s post-grunge (is 1994 post-grunge or is it still technically grunge? Though I was alive during that time period, I was too busy listening to Oldies 95 and being 9 years old) videos and there's something about these poor quality/quick cuts/bands doing goofy stuff videos that makes me nostalgic for a time when music videos had character, goddamnit!)