Wikipedia

Off Off On

Off Off On is the fifth studio album by British band This Is the Kit. It was released on 23 October 2020 through Rough Trade Records, making it the band's second album for the label. Recording sessions took place at Real World Studios in Wiltshire. Production was handled by Josh Kaufman. The album debuted at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.

Off Off On
Studio album by
This Is the Kit
Released23 October 2020
RecordedMarch 2020
StudioReal World Studios (England, UK)
GenreFolk rock
Length46:19
LabelRough Trade
ProducerJosh Kaufman
This Is the Kit chronology
Moonshine Freeze
(2017) 		Off Off On
(2020) 		Careful of Your Keepers
(2023)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[1]
Metacritic86/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Gigwise          [4]
The Independent     [5]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[6]
Loud and Quiet6/10[7]
Mojo     [8]
musicOMH     [9]
The Sydney Morning Herald     [10]
Uncut9/10[11]
Under the Radar          [12]

Off Off On was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87 based on seven reviews.[2] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7.7 out of 10, based on eight reviews.[1]

Tom Pinnock of Uncut gave the album 9 out of 10, praising "Their most multi-layered yet subtle work so far. ... The result is unshowily spectacular".[11] AllMusic's Timothy Monger said, "In spite of its musical intricacy, This Is the Kit remains a relatable portal into the human experience and Off Off On is as appealing as anything Stables has ever released".[3] Charlie Brock of Gigwise said, "The autumnal and introspective elements work beautifully with the sense of unease that many people are experiencing right now".[4] Mike Barnes of Mojo said, "This Is The Kit have developed a peculiar intra band empathy with guitars, bass, drums and occasional horns responding to the rhythm of Kate Stables' vocal cadences. ... The overall message is of gentle positivity".[8] Lewis Oxley of musicOMH said, "in short, it's a perfect soundtrack to help us through this pandemic-dominated times".[9] Elisa Bray of The Independent resumed, "Off Off On stakes out the Winchester-born, Paris-based Stables as one of the most original and musically gifted artists of today".[5] Helena Wadia of The Line of Best Fit found the album "undoubtedly This Is The Kit's best work yet - clever lyrics, clashing instrumentals and unique vocal patterns create a dizzying and heady album that feels as refreshing as it does personal".[6] Mark Moody of Under the Radar stated, "Compositionally, Off Off On finds Stables at the top of her game to date. Pushed by Kaufman in new directions and with an ear towards experimentation in spots, the underlying tension of Stables' music is spurred on by her lyrics".[12]

In a mixed review, Loud and Quiet critic Fergal Kinney said, "On Off Off On, whilst the emotional range of its predecessor may be slightly narrowed, there’s a commitment to broadening the sonic palette that frames Stables’ writing".[7]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Kate Stables

No.TitleLength
1."Found Out"3:29
2."Started Again"4:37
3."This Is What You Did"3:12
4."No Such Thing"4:40
5."Slider"4:06
6."Coming to Get You Nowhere"3:20
7."Carry Us Please"4:13
8."Off Off On"3:19
9."Shinbone Soap"4:18
10."Was Magician"4:26
11."Keep Going"6:39
Total length:46:19

Charts

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Chart performance for Off Off On
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 21
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[15] 6
UK Record Store (OCC)[16] 4
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17] 5

References

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  1. ^ a b "Off Off On by This Is The Kit reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Off Off On - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Off Off On - This Is the Kit | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b Brock, Charlie (15 October 2020). "Album Review: This Is The Kit - Off Off On | Gigwise". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b Bray, Elisa (22 October 2020). "This is the Kit's Off Off On is a masterclass in complex songwriting – review". The Independent. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b Wadia, Helena (20 October 2020). "The strongest effort to date from This Is The Kit, Off Off On is hope for a better future". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b Kinney, Fergal (19 October 2020). "This Is The Kit – Off Off On – Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b Barnes, Mike (2020). Mojo - November 2020. Mojo. p. 80.
  9. ^ a b Oxley, Lewis (24 October 2020). "This Is The Kit - Off Off On | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  10. ^ Lal, Kish (23 October 2020). "Music reviews: Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and more". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  11. ^ a b Pinnock, Tom (2020). Uncut - November 2020. Uncut. p. 34.
  12. ^ a b Moody, Mark (20 October 2020). "Off Off On". Under the Radar. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Official Record Store Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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