Short Reviews [Space Kitchen - 2023 - "Space Kitchen"]

Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Space Kitchen is a duo formed by Rob Howell and Robbie Carvalho, with the former providing keyboards and the latter bass, drums, guitar and lead vocals (apart from closing number “Pain Goblin” where Rob takes the lead and also provide bass and acoustic guitar). I must admit the first time I listened to this I really wasn’t sure as it all felt a little prog lite to me, along with vocals which were more alternative/indie even than neo, but the more I kept playing this the more I realised the issue was more with my own perceptions and attempting to pigeonhole the sound as opposed to really listening to what was going on. The thing is, this actually isn’t a prog album per se, but rather it is an Eighties pop rock album with progressive influences, and once one just listens to the songs without any preconceived ideas of what it should be like it seems all so much better. There are plenty of hooks contained within this EP, which is just seven songs and 26 minutes long. Rob’s vocals are very different indeed to Robbie’s, but I am sure that is not the only reason why “Pain Goblin” has been placed at the end as it is very different indeed to the other six tracks. This is the most overtly progressive of all the songs and allows Rob to provide a nicely constructed guitar solo as we also touch into areas of psychedelia. This definitely feels like a band at the beginning of their career who are working out what they want to achieve and how they are going to go about it. I am sure we will hear more from these guys, and it will be intriguing to see what they come up with next.