One often needs an edge of mirth to their music, and while Kabaal Klankbaan’s latest offering may not be side-splittingly hilarious, it provides a welcome less-than-serious tone for project. The Pretoria based folk-rock outfit is spearheaded by Floris Groenewald, who attests to be the only permanent member of the band, holding the comfortable foundation off which collaborations spring. In the wake of their full length album “Baptism” last year has come a series of individually released offerings, the latest being ‘Robot Girlfriend’.
A heady electro-centric baseline breaks ground on the song. Introductory drum work and dark synths are overlain by Groenewald’s rasping, roughened vocals, which slip in and out of robotic tendencies and layered power, while a computer-generated, robotic vocal monologue sidles into play halfway through. Catchy, simplistic and endlessly bouncy, this is a track which will stay firmly lodged in your mind for some time. With the pivotal idea behind the song being the wish that if something goes wrong in your relationship you can simply hit a reset button, Groenewald’s cheerfully sings, “I’m building a robot girlfriend / her radar dishes are double D’s and her heart is a USB.”
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Listen to ‘Robot Girlfriend’ below.