Kitchen Witch: Finding the Groove in The Space In Between

If you stumble upon Kitchen Witch's profile on triple j Unearthed, the band's bio reads, "If John Lee Hooker, Kyuss and Janis Joplin had a baby, can you imagine how ugly that little alcoholic baby would be? Fortunately, Kitchen Witch can hold their liquor long enough to write some booty shakin' blues-based stoner grooves."

It's an apt description for this stoner rock outfit that draws inspiration from blues, desert rock and psychedelic shifts. The quartet of vocalist Georgie Cosson, guitarist Conor Kinsella, bassist Ashton Rudd and drummer Ed Noble have been knocking out releases for well over a decade, and this week, they released their highly anticipated third long player, The Space In Between.

The six-track collection includes singles 'Glitch' and 'Rosemary' and is arguably the band's most cohesive release yet.

To celebrate the release of The Space In Between, Cosson spoke with The Note about the album, Adelaide's music scene and her joy of playing live.

For anyone discovering Kitchen Witch for the first time, how did the band come together, and what three words would you use to describe what you’re all about?

We gradually found each other after Georgie and Conor played a show at the legendary Crown and Anchor as a duo for a bit of fun. We went to high school together in the NT and moved down with mates to be part of the music scene in SA.  Since then, we have had a couple of lineup changes and have Ed and Ashton as our rhythm section. Ed played in Filthy Lucre back in the day, and Ashton used to play with Conor in Woe, so trying to get those legends involved was a no-brainer!

Three words? It's pretty hard to describe Kitchen Witch...Witchy doom pop?

How has being based in Adelaide shaped Kitchen Witch, both musically and creatively?

The Adelaide scene is small but super talented. It's great coz we are often playing shows with an eclectic mix of bands because there are just not that many of any particular genre. In saying that, it is also a long way to Melbs or another capital city and especially Europe!

It's been six years since Kitchen Witch released your last LP, Earth and Ether. How has the band's sound evolved over that time

We are literally different people now that we have Ed and Ashton contributing to the writing of this album, and I think we have leaned into a more "prog" kind of influence but still with the KW signature groove. Kitchen Witch seems to continue macheteing a path through the jungle, figuring out what comes next as we go.

Speaking of albums, Kitchen Witch had just dropped your third record, The Space In Between. When did you first realise the songs you were writing were becoming a new album rather than simply another collection of tracks?

I think The Space In Between is just a collection of tracks to make up an album! But yeah, I feel like Kitchen Witch just makes "snapshots of time" albums. It's a document of four heads smushed together to create sounds. So fun. It's nice to be completely free when songwriting, having no expectations apart from enjoying writing it. And at least one song you can dance to.

What were you listening to during the making of the album, and did those bands or artists influence the songs you were writing?

I mean, I can't speak for the rest of the band, but I'm listening to Die Spitz, Earth Tongue, All Them Witches, Andersen .Paak, Cream, Glass Beams, Zeppelin, Monster Magnet, Igorr, that sort of stuff.

When it comes to themes or sounds, was there anything you wanted to explore on The Space In Between that you perhaps hadn't done on previous releases?

Nah, we just enjoyed the ride. The album title and track 'The Space In Between' were inspired by my interest in the journey people go on when they have a near-death experience. I guess it is an exploration of consciousness, life and death.

You've shared two singles from the album: 'Glitch' and 'Rosemary'. Both songs show different sides of Kitchen Witch. What can you tell us about those two tracks, and are they indicative of what fans can expect from the album?

'Glitch' is a melancholy soundscape, a storm surrounding the frustration of misinformation, greenwashing and denial of climate change by companies with a specific agenda and our governments. The bird song was recorded by a friend of ours, Tristan, captured on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.

'Rosemary' began forming after we released Earth & Ether in 2020, so it was written during those COVID restrictions and lockdowns. It has certainly evolved since then, and if you watch the video clip, you will see our previous bass player, Simon, in the shadows.

I guess these songs are examples of our heavy prog-ish experimentation.

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Is there a particular song on The Space In Between that pushed Kitchen Witch outside your comfort zone or surprised you once it was finished?

I really love the title track. It emerged from a jam one day and we smooshed it with a riff that had been hanging around since we had a songwriting getaway on a farm down South, a year or so before.

Kitchen Witch has gained a reputation for your live shows where there's a real emphasis on groove, atmosphere and heaviness. What do you want someone to physically or emotionally feel when they experience Kitchen Witch live?

I want people to feel alive, enjoy the light and dark and embrace the cycles of life with connection to people, nature and art.

When it comes to performing live, what do you enjoy most about being up on stage in front of a crowd?

I genuinely love the feeling of creating and sharing our music with our friends. It is such a buzz to see the crowd enjoying our music as much as we do and I hope that people feel connected, uplifted and moments of joy from coming to our shows.

You've shared stages with bands such as 1000 Mods, Brant Bjork and Mammal. What have some of those experiences taught you about performing, and what have been some of your standout live memories?

Yeah, we have shared the stage with many amazing musicians and performers and we are grateful for that. I remember playing with Earthless and they were so kind and generous. They played 3 songs for the whole set. It was epic! I guess I have learnt that those musicians are just like us. Just people that love music and want to spend their time sharing it with the world.

If you were crafting your own mini festival, what five bands would you want to play?

Planet of the 8s (VIC), He is Legend, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Ecca Vandal and Battlesnake.

Once The Space In Between is out in the world, what does the next chapter of Kitchen Witch look like — and where would you love to take the band from here?

We would love to take The Space In Between to the rest of the country on tour and then overseas. We want to keep sharing the good vibes with people and meeting other musos on tour to share their tunes!

 In The Space Between by Kitchen Witch is out now. Listen here.