At the close of New Internationale, the new release from roving pop duo Kit Sebastian, lead singer Merve Erdem ponders the perils of the global age in velvety spoken word. She ends her thoughts in suspense: “Collective salvation in the making / Formation of the New international / Is this another adamant march toward catastrophe or an overture to the age of revolutionary action?” It’s an intense outro that suits Kit Sebastian’s ever-present flair for the dramatic and brings into focus the tensions of cosmopolitanism at the heart of this latest work.
Certainly, Kit Sebastian’s entire career makes for a case study of the world as a community. Made up of Turkish-born London transplant Erdem and English producer K Martin, both of whom have spent and continue to spend their lives crossing national borders, Kit Sebastian’s discography includes an unsettled mélange of styles. On New Internationale, they range from Anatolian rock to retro soul and far beyond, making it an especially impeccable demonstration of Kit Sebastian’s deep interest in the nature of modernity even as they critique its problems through intricate multilingual lyrics. These are immense and laudable concepts. The pair’s stylish execution makes them not only palatable but practically luxurious.
That is true from the start. “Faust” is a dazzling start to New Internationale, swaying oud notes as the acoustic foundation for a cascade of retro synths and a pared-down telling of the titular legend that puts Erdem’s theatricality to work as she moves between breathy and belting. Martin joins her for the vocal duet “Camouflage”, where warm keys, light horns, and touches of four-on-the-floor drums give the song a slinky R&B sheen.
Turkish-language tracks “Ellerin Ellerimde” and “Göç Me” follow, the former evoking 1970s Istanbul pop. The latter is a sizzling political piece on migration that sonically lands somewhere between smoky Ethiojazz and a classic spy flick soundtrack. Ballad “The Kiss” is a quiet storm that would sound perfectly natural behind vinyl crackle, and if “Metropolis” were a few minutes longer, it could pass for peak Krautrock. The twinkling sounds of gamelan bells dance atop a sprightly bassline in the hot-blooded yearning of “Bul Bul Bul” before “Mechanics of Love” settles New Internationale down for the psychedelic deep dive of closing duo “Odyssey” and “New Internationale”.
Even as Kit Sebastian draw from so many different slices of time and space, the result holds together and is stunning. New Internationale glitters, an obelisk of sound and emotion that towers so high it’s hard to look away: the very improbability of its existence is compelling. New Internationale is a robust pop masterpiece, a boldly artful work that is refined but not restrained, tasteful but never bland. It is equally thrilling and thoughtful, a fiery interrogation of the many layers of desire that make up contemporary life that makes for a simply captivating listen. Whether Kit Sebastian’s strong point of view will lead to catastrophe or revolution remains to be seen, but there’s no questioning the power in their perspective.