DJ M-Dash writesChicago’s 6kitty Fuses Raging Love of Gear, Songwriting, Innovative Music

by Andy Frye

Chicago-based alternative dream poppers 6kitty released their second album, Under Pins, in mid-December. On February 15, they will play a sold-out show at Schubas with Chicago music scene veterans The Vulgar Boatmen.

The trio, made up of drummer Alex Karan, lead vocalist-guitarist Donna Dee, and bass player Stephanie Harte, got together after years of playing in different bands, mainly as a creative balance to day jobs, family life, as well as a raging love for creative music.

Bassist Harte, who also shares some lead vocal duties, said that forming 6kitty as a new band seemed like a natural fit for the three alternative musical compatriots.

“In the past, we have all played together in different variations of bands,” Harte says, “so when Donna and I started the 6kitty project, we reached out to Alex to join, and the band easily snapped into place.”

And while each of 6kitty’s members will admit to a hint of a “shoegazey” sound on both the new album and their 2022 debut album, Tux, they draw on a wide variety of influences from different decades.

“For sure (‘90s music) has shaped my songwriting,” Harte adds. “I was heavy into the Chicago music scene in the ‘90s and would see live music at any chance.” Harte also says that Brooklyn band Nation of Language and Waxahatchee are among her favorite newer acts and ones that challenge her musical thinking.

Donna Dee, on the other hand, fuses longtime indie favorites with what she finds most enjoyable and innovative in newer music. “My tastes are really eclectic. I love a lot of post-punk and post-rock bands—Siouxie and the Banshees, the Cure, Blonde Redhead, and June of 44. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Bully, Warpaint, Soccer Mommy, and King Hannah,” Donna Dee says.

Drummer Alex Karan, a lifelong Chicagoan, says, “I’ve always been a huge fan of Local H, which has been a big influence in my playing style.” Midwestern acts The Life and Times and 12Rods are among Karan’s favorites. But he also lets onto the fact that shoegazey acts from both the 1990s and now keep his musician’s mind buzzing, especially “DIIV, Ride, Wine Lips, Low, and lots of creative new artists coming up.” 

Like any Generation X diehard music lover, Karan concedes that if you get him started, he could talk about his favorite bands forever. “Depending on my mood, I can listen to ambient, atmospheric stuff, jazz, EDM. I can go on and on, but we’ll leave it at that,” he says.

When asked about their sound—whether you’d call it shoegaze, dream pop, or something entirely different—6kitty’s collaborative style of songwriting and music-making does ooze the sounds of their influences. But each song also evolves from their love of their gear.

“Give us some pedals and other toys to mess with, throw in some mood swings and you’ll never know what we’ll come up with,” Karan says. “As we were starting up, I feel the ‘90s were very influential. There was a melting pot of sounds becoming popular at that time.”

6kitty (Stephanie Harte, Donna Dee and Alex Karan)

Donna Dee echoes her drummer’s sentiment. “I’m into using distortion and delay, and I think that always ends up sounding shoegazey. I think it comes from a variety of musical styles and the combination of the three of us writing together.”

Highlights from Tux include poppy songs like “My World,” the album’s first track, as well as “Churchill Woods,” “Do I Walk,” plus “Starfish’r,” a track with comes with a taste of grunge bass line reminiscent of Mudhoney and Tad, as well as some growly guitar distortion a lá the Smashing Pumpkins’ Gish. 

Tux’s third track,” “Dragonfly,” starts with Harte taking the reign on lead vocals after a bass line evocative of Joy Division but with a softer touch. 

Under Pins is a tad darker than the debut, which the band says is by design. The band’s first track from that album, “June,” hit CHIRP Radio’s rotation before its release on November 15. 

“I think the new songs were crafted with more intentionality, and even before the lyrics were added, the music was kind of telling a story,” Donna Dee says. “These songs were, for me, a reflection of what was going on in my life at the time they were written.”

Harte and Dee share lead vocal duties throughout the album, with songs such as “I Would Keep You Under Pins” and “In a Mood” dishing out a more pensive, contemplative sound when compared to 6kitty’s first release. 

The trio recorded Under Pins last summer and fall after signing with Hardstop Records, an independent label based in Chicago’s North Side. 

“When we signed to Hardstop, we had already written most of the songs for Under Pins,” Harte says. “(Hardstop founder and owner) Tom Spira provided us the ability to freely choose where to record and mix Under Pins, along with full creativity.”

Karan also sings Hardstop’s praises: “It’s been a great step forward for the band in general. Having someone on your side, being an extension of the band, has been super helpful.”

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You can hear music from 6kitty’s albums, Tux and Under Pins, on CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM.