Employing a classic framing of early hardcore in its lyrics for “Don’t Think Too Much,” Red Kate without needing to name a particular political orientation or movement takes down a mindset that was once too common and has become even more entrenched in the public discourse now. Musically the hard charging song burns in short bursts and thrilling runs reminiscent of D.O.A. and Australian proto-punk and pub rock. But the lyrics are sketched out in short phrases and extended musings and eschews choruses and sloganeering completely. Which is a clever approach to a song aimed at the ignorance and overconfidence of all these “independent thinkers” and people who do “their own research” without considering they’re approaching it all not disinterestedly with the aim of arriving at some more actual truth but in that confirmation bias mode with conspiratorial thinking that only ever seems to serve the goals and interests of authoritarian leaders, national and global capital and narrow interpretations of tradition, culture and religion. Red Kate even comments on how none of that thinking has to have consistency to command faith from a certain stripe of person, not when you have the desired answer in mind and you romanticize being a rebel and a “patriot” even though you’re a stooge. Maybe there’s no helping some people even confronting them in the much more friendly if aggressive manner of Red Kate in this song and its challenge to cast aside determined efforts at self-oppression but there is room for music that speaks to persistent frustrations in a spirit of solidarity. Listen to “Don’t Think Too Much” on Spotify and follow Kansas City, Missouri’s Red Kate at the links below. The group’s latest album Exit Strategy dropped November 22, 2023 on digital download, streaming, CD and limited edition vinyl..
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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