Kit Sebastian is a neo-psychedelic Turkish pop duo from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of producer Kit Martin & singer/songwriter Merve Erdem. Dropping their only extended play Passionate Objects in the summer of 2016, their full-length debut Mantra Moderne & the subsequent sophomore effort Melodi would both become well received enough to have Flying Lotus sign them to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune. Needless to say, their 3rd full-length album was going to be something special.
“Faust” sets the tone with this neo-psychedelic Anatolian rock lead single & intro incorporating additional elements of psychedelic Turkish pop confessing to turning this man into a total liar whereas “Camoflauge” was conceived a year prior to Mantra Moderne, singing about the relatable paranoia & anxiousness a lot of us have been feeling regarding the state of the world & Merve’s relationship insecurities. “Ellerin Ellerimde” embraces the love they have for ’60s Turkish & Latin music singing about a woman who’s always on the verge of insanity while “Göç / Me” leans heavier on the Turkish side of things admitting that she’s been in a strange mood lately.
Merve finds herself singing in English again on the 3rd single “The Kiss”, reaching the halfway point singing to her lover that she’ll kill all of his pain no matter what he’s been through leading into “Metropolis” singing about someone projecting hope onto a new place can call home. The 4th & final single “Bul Bul Bul” taking it’s cues from neo-psychedelic Turkish pop & gamelan to describe a relationship where they’re romantic alone & apathetic in public.
“Mechanics of Love” nears the conclusion of New Internationale going full tropicália poignantly singing about the time to move on coming when the sunshine reveals the rust of memories while “Odyssey” provides only 2 brief verses wanting one to sing their prophecy to her under their wings until letting it compositionally speak for itself during the final minute. The title track officially wraps things up hooking some keys reminiscent of Stereolab asking if this is an adamant march toward catastrophe or an overture to the age of revolutionary action.
New Internationale has been widely considered by fans who’ve been around since the Mantra Moderne era to be a huge improvement above the latter & being a fan of Flying Lotus since my adolescence, it’s right behind Hiatus Kaiyote’s 4th album Love Heart Cheat Code & 長谷川白紙’s 3rd album 魔法学校 for a spot amongst the top 3 Brainfeeder releases of 2024. In fact: I’d put it on the same pedestal as Ross from Friends’ sophomore effort Tread or Genevieve Artedi’s 3rd album Forever Forever & Louis Cole 4th album Quality Over Opinion as some the label’s greatest output of this ongoing decade. Secondary influences of Anatolian rock, Turkish pop, psychedelic rock, Tropicália & yé-yé make their way through them quantizing the neo-psychedelic pop style they’ve become known for both parties are at their most precise.
Score: 4/5
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