Pom-Poms Credit: courtesy the artist

In summer 2017, rapper Kitty, who’d gone viral via Soundcloud earlier in the decade, released Miami Garden Club, her long-awaited crowd-funded debut album, which captured her shift away from the quirky rhymes of her early tunes and toward dreamy bedroom pop. Kitty toured on that record alongside her husband Sam Ray, a like-minded musician who makes beat-heavy, hazy synth soundscapes under the name Ricky Eat Acid. It seemed inevitable that the two would eventually come together for a full-on collaboration, and in September they released a self-titled, five-song EP as the Pom-Poms. On these tracks, Ray’s trademark vapory production hits harder than usual, and Kitty’s vocal performance edges back toward her hip-hop days, creating a heady, beyond-catchy, and surprisingly high-energy experimental dance-pop hybrid. Longtime Kitty fans will be delighted with the Pom-Poms: all of her hilarious eccentricities, clever wordplay, and knack for weaving undeniable hooks are pushed to the forefront and wrapped up in a quick, tidy package.   v