Album Review: Casper Skulls – Kit-Cat
3 min read
Casper Skulls return with Kit-Cat, an ambitious and deeply personal new album that marks a turning point for the band. Released via Next Door Records, this 11-track collection captures a group in transition—geographically, creatively, and personally—and the result is their most cohesive and resonant work to date.
Now operating as a streamlined trio, the band is made up of Melanie St. Pierre-Bednis (guitar/bass/vocals), Neil Bednis (guitar/bass/vocals), and Fraser McClean (drums, bass, keys, violin, and more). The chemistry between the three is evident from the outset, with each member contributing across instruments and songwriting duties. St. Pierre-Bednis and Bednis, who are married, split vocal and lyrical responsibilities throughout the album, bringing a dynamic and deeply emotional core to the record.
Recorded over just six days at Deadpan Studios in February 2024, Kit-Cat feels both spontaneous and meticulously crafted. The band’s longtime friend and engineer Matt Weiwel lends additional synth textures, while guitarist Augusta Veno (of Lonely Parade) adds subtle flourishes that help shape the album’s sonic palette. The result is an album that’s textured and expansive without ever feeling overproduced.
Lyrically, Kit-Cat explores a range of themes—grief, identity, familial conflict, creative burnout, and technological detachment. On Numbing Mind, Neil Bednis takes aim at society’s increasing reliance on technology and media as a form of escapism. The accompanying video, directed by Bosmo, leans into satire, featuring St. Pierre-Bednis and Bednis flipping through surreal parodies of children’s shows, ASMR, and reality TV. It’s funny and unsettling—perfectly mirroring the song’s themes.
St. Pierre-Bednis offers some of the album’s most personal and striking moments. Kihl was inspired by recurring nightmares she had before leaving Toronto for Sudbury, while Petty at a Funeral dives into the emotional messiness of family relationships. Bednis, in turn, draws from film and literature: Spindletop references There Will Be Blood, and The Awakening alludes to the Kate Chopin novel of the same name, adding a sense of broader reflection to the album’s personal tone.
A standout track is Roddy Piper, the first in the band’s discography to feature both St. Pierre-Bednis and Bednis sharing vocals throughout. It’s energetic, raw, and charged with tension—a nod to their shared interest in professional wrestling, but also a metaphor for the emotional push and pull that comes with intimacy and partnership.
The album artwork—painted by St. Pierre-Bednis herself—adds a final layer to the project’s vision. Featuring a Kitty Cat clock, a rural road, and a ballet dancer in a luchador mask, it’s surreal and symbolic, echoing the balance of whimsy and depth found across the album.
Following a series of personal milestones—including the birth of St. Pierre-Bednis and Bednis’s first child—Kit-Cat feels like both a culmination and a fresh start. Casper Skulls have distilled their experiences, influences, and evolving dynamics into something quietly powerful. This isn’t just a new phase—it’s the band at their most assured, most vulnerable, and most compelling yet.
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