The Kid is alright: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith prepares pulsating comeback with new album, single, and tour

The Kid is alright: Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith prepares pulsating comeback with new album, single, and tour
Photo: Tim Saccenti

Ok, so the “comeback” in the headline above is a little misleading: L.A.-based singer/songwriter/synth-whisperer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has actually been issuing a steady collection of subtle, enigmatic electronic material over the past five years. She stealthily slides from writer to musician to arranger to producer to engineer with the ease of a sonic shapeshifter and is a constant go-to score creator (e.g. Reggie Watts’ “Brasilia: City of the Future” short), in-demand remixer (e.g. Max Richter’s “Dream 3” reworking), and sought-after collaborator (e.g. RVNG’s FRKWYS Vol. 13: Sunergy album with mentor and fellow Buchla devotee Suzanne Ciani).

But STILL: anytime Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith announces a new album of her own, it sort of feels like a comeback event — or if you prefer, a “welcome back” one! And so, let us all welcome back Smith with open arms and happy ears when she releases her latest project on October 6 on Western Vinyl.

There’s nothing infantile about Smith’s sound but that hasn’t stopped her from titling her latest album The Kid. For it, Smith has created a concept album based on four stages of human development, from birth to death, with individual personality-building steps in between. Smith’s first single from The Kid, “An Intention,” is taken from the phase of the album representing life’s first stage, and you can listen to it —and play it to your infant child in its crib — down below. Then, after you come down from that adorability-high, you can pre-order the album from Smith’s Bandcamp.

Meanwhile, the woman’s calendar is also packed with shows for the next few months, so check out those dates down below the artwork and full album-tracklisting; there should be a good chance she will be playing somewhere near you. If not, you’re not searching hard enough. As the famous quote doesn’t go, “Here’s looking for you, (comeback) kid.”

The Kid tracklisting:

01. I Am a Thought
02. An Intention
03. A Kid
04. In the World
05. I Am Consumed
06. In the World, But Not of the World
07. I Am Learning
08. To Follow and Lead
09. Until I Remember
10. Who I Am and Why I Am Where I Am
11. I Am Curious, I Care
12. I Will Make Room for You
13. To Feel Your Best

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith live dates:

08.16.17 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fasching
08.17.17 - St. Malo, France - Le Fort Saint-Père
10.13.17 - Miami, FL - III Points Festival
10.15.17 - Joshua Tree, CA - The Institute of Mentalphysics, Desert Daze
10.17.17 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Music Hall
10.19.17 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
10.21.17 - Vancouver, BC - Venue
10.22.17 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
10.26.17 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
10.28.17 - Montréal, QC - Bar Le Ritz
11.01.17 - Boston, MA - Café 939
11.02.17 - New York, NY - Good Room
11.03.17 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
11.04.17 - Washington, DC - DC9
11.20.17 - Berlin, Germany - Funkhaus
11.21.17 - London, England - Scala
11.22.17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melweg

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