Kithkin is a sweat-conjuring, drum-fueled, jungle rock band from Seattle, WA. Kithin’s caught recent attention with the release of their Takers & Leavers EP, their Neptune show with Los Campesiños! and a top spot on KEXP’s NW Music Chart.

After chatting with Los Campesinos! about X-Men backstage at The Neptune and playing a number of Dungeons and Dragons campaigns centered around the pursuit of a thieving, Indiana Jones-like gnome—Kithkin have finally begun writing for our upcoming full-length album. Kithkin loves drums. Assuredly, there will be more drums than ever before in our new material. Whatever else Kithkin includes is up to the spirits of Cascadia. However, the following songs, which have been in heavy rotation in our Kith-ears, will likely shape whatever new musical sounds-making we engage in this year. We hope you enjoy:

1.  “Quick As White” Kasai Allstars

This songs sounds like you are surrounded by a bunch of ecstatic, mystical shaman having a party in the sky, casting joyous spells down onto Earth. All good music should sound like the incantation of a magical spell. Also, this makes your brain feel likes its glowing. Most African music does. –Kelton (Lead Vox, Bass)

2. “Idiot Heart” Sunset Rubdown 

Spencer Krug is a demigod. Between Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake and Sunset Rubdown, the man can do no wrong. I could make a separate play list just dedicated to Spencer Krug (and I have). He is my hero. This song contains the line “I hope that you died/ in a decent pair of shoes/ you’ve got a lot of long walking to do/ where you’re going to.” Pure genius. –Kelton

3. “Untitled” Ash Borer
Ash Borer just freaking unleashes this wall of raw power that washes over you for 21 minutes and 30 seconds and it’s incredible. I got a summer job painting dorm rooms, and Black Metal put me in this great trance state to do that work. This music is designed for your body, you feel this music. The dark abyss feels surprisingly good. –Kelton

4. “Samba Pa Ti” Santana

Not only does Santana’s guitar sound a little more like sex than it usually does in this song but at 1:34 when that dirty organ comes in, it’s the sweetest sound to have ever been made. It sounds like all the angels are singing but with a ton of overdrive over them, because human ears can’t handle it. –Bob (Keys)

5. “Streets of Fire” Bruce Springsteen

The way the organ starts this song you feel like you are sitting in church. But not boring church with a bunch of old people singing to you. Church: with The Boss. You aren’t really sure why but you are all yelling the chorus “Streets of Fire” with him, but why wouldn’t you want to yell those words as loud as you can? –Bob

6.  “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” D’Angelo

You don’t even need to listen to the whole song. Just the first chord. That chord is the sexiest chord ever played. Of course the song only gets funkier and sexier. No song ever has been, or ever will be as sexy and funky as this song. It was designed, by top funk scientists, to make your hormones rage. –Bob

7.  “Let Bebongs Be Bebongs, Idiot” Foot Village
Even after sixteen minutes of only drums and vocals, I’m always left craving more. Lyrically, “Let Bebongs” is pretty direct, “We just want to party” being the only line in the last six minutes of the song. But what more needs to be said? Deep down everyone loves to hit things with sticks and yell their genitals off and that is exactly what Foot Village does, and they do it damn well. –Ian (Drums, Lead Vox)

8. “Ice Dogs” Man Man 

Listening to Man Man is like watching your favorite childhood Disney movie on acid. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll have profound realizations, and at times you’ll be slightly uncomfortable. With its playful vocal layering and bubbly woodwinds, Ice Dogs is just one masterpiece in Man Man’s library of masterpieces. –Ian

9. “My Wild Love” The Doors

All of the best songs paint a picture—an audio landscape if you will. Like a lost track from “The Good the Bad and the Ugly” the sparseness of this song conjures the vivid image of a southwestern desert at night. “My Wild Love” is both tribal and psychedelic, my two favorite things packed into one minimalist song. –Ian

10. “Cross-eyed and Painless (Live)” Talking Heads

When David Byrne took the Talking Heads minimalist approach and manipulated it into funk-on-wheels, the world’s collective asses were about to be shaken. The scratching guitars, dissonant solos—it’s a wall of guitars acting as their own rhythm section. Watch Stop Making Sense, and marvel at the glory of David Byrne. –Alex (Guitar)

11.  “Let’s Go Crazy” Prince 

Prince is one sexy son of a bitch. I wanted to pick the whole album, but I narrowed it down to this masterpiece. Prince’s guitar playing + his yelps of undying pleasure=my pants are off. But that’s not the best part: listen to Prince’s phallic guitar solo at 2:40 and 3:55. For all of you virgins reading this, that is sex. It’s no wonder they asked him to do the Batman soundtrack. –Alex

12.  “Us vs. Them” LCD Soundsystem 

The key to any dance song: Bells. James Murphy demands bells. When James Murphy tells you to dance, you dance. The lyrics are simple, “The Time Has Come.” Those words alone let you know what you’re in for—celebratory musical lawlessness, over and over again. –Alex

Pick up Kithkin’s new Takers & Leavers EP on iTunes