Below is my review for the week of January 7-13th. This past week I returned to work after having two weeks off for winter break. I also just got home from a weekend-long bachelorette party, and so I really only had time for one review this week. Again, I’m trying to keep up with my blog and not feel guilty for not reviewing a book, movie, and album. I hope you enjoy my review!
Album: Underbelly by Kiltro
My Thoughts:
Last year, my sister and my mom highly recommended Kiltro’s first album to me: Creatures of Habit. Although the band released a new album last summer, I am just now getting around to listening to it.
According to Chris Walker from 5280 Magazine, the band is named after a Spanish word for “mutt”: “quiltro.” Walker adds that the first album was inspired by “singer-songwriter Chris Bowers Castillo’s experiences living in the Chilean port city of Valparaíso, where canines roam wild” and that the band’s sophomore album is now inspired by cats. Walker describes the band’s debut album as more “playful and energetic,” just as a dog might be, while their latest album is more “brooding,” like a cat might be.
Castillo explains this album’s songs one by one in an article published in Paste Magazine. He shares the following about the album and the song named after his cat, “Cuchito,”
“If it isn’t obvious from the album art, Underbelly has a cat trope. It felt appropriate for an album that deals largely with internal landscapes as opposed to a series of stories told in a real, albeit somewhat intangible place, as was the setting for our first release, Creatures of Habit. Stray dogs roam the streets of Valparaíso and encounter people living out their own stories and delusions, and in the context of that first album, acted as a metaphorical vehicle for the interconnectedness of those narratives and perspectives. Cats, on the other hand, are solitary and look around a lot at things that aren’t there.“
I couldn’t agree more with these observations. Creatures of Habit did feel dark and mysterious at times, but it also had moments that felt fun and lively. On the other hand, Underbelly feels a lot more decidedly moody and introspective . At first I didn’t find this album as intriguing as the band’s first album, maybe because it sounded like more of the same thing, but Underbelly slowly grew on me. I think of it as a continuation of Creatures of Habit, as a sort of “sister” album. I still think the songs all sort of blend into one another, but while I saw this as almost a defect when I listened to their first album, I now think that this is a feature of this band’s work. Their sound is cinematic, and their albums are able to thrust you into a different world that is dark and mysterious, but also a bit magical.
I haven’t really had enough time to digest every song and all the lyrics, so my thoughts now are mainly based on vibes, but I look forward to revisiting Kiltro’s work throughout the year and getting more out of it every time I re-listen to their songs/albums.
My Rating:
Favorite Songs:
Citations:
Mitchell, M. (2023, June 1). Kiltro go behind the scenes on underbelly track by track. Paste Magazine. https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/kiltro/underbelly-track-by-track
Walker, C. (2023, June 7). Into the underbelly: Kiltro’s second album is a Chilean folk and psychedelic dream. 5280. https://www.5280.com/into-the-underbelly-kiltros-second-album-is-a-chilean-folk-and-psychedelic-dream/
One Per Week 
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