What happens when you pair the intelligence and nuance of the Swedish electropop aesthetic with an Australian vocalist? You need only listen to Kate Boy’s latest single, “Self Control,” to find out. In this track, perfectly calibrated synths and instrumentation shimmer behind lead singer Kate Akhurst’s bold and metallic vocals, all of which coalesces into a modern take on the best of ’80s pop.
So why did this group of three settle on a band name that sounds so much like a solo act? It took only one night in the recording studio before Swedes Markus Dextegen and Hampus Nordgren Hemlin and Australian Akhurst knew that their artistic visions aligned (Oscar Engström left the group late last year). Kate Boy, then, is the band’s fictional fourth member, an androgynous representation of the trio’s musical unity and collective songwriting. And while the idea behind the group’s moniker may be intangible, “Self Control” is extremely listenable proof that he/she/it knows how to write a damn good pop song either way.