Kitchen is a dreamy instrumental lofi hiphop album with a delightfully analog sound.
The first thing I noticed when I hit play on track one, Clearing the (Night) Air, was the minimalist punchy drum machine. Between the mechanical drum and the fuzzy chord loop, the track evokes a beautiful sense of the mundane, like waiting in line or riding an elevator if only we appreciated what makes those moments special in their own way.
In the second track, First Cup of the Day, we're exposed more directly to the titular kitchen. There's a looping background sample that sounds to me like a sink draining or perhaps part of a dishwasher cycle. The kitchen ambience samples throughout the album, from a refrigerator hum to indescribable crackling and occasional water noises, do a really wonderful job of tying the whole experience together and making it stand out in a genre which by its design hides from the spotlight.
In my mind, the real star of the show here is the "cheap toy keyboard" used as the primary synth throughout. There's something heartwarmingly nostalgic about how this flimsy plastic sound is embraced sincerely. Sometimes the decision to use equipment like this comes as a challenge to make art out of something undesirable, to recycle sounds that are perceived as beneath us. Throughout this album however, it feels clear that the sound of this keyboard was chosen out of genuine appreciation, and the result is really something special.
By track four Waves, I'm entirely convinced I need this album in my personal rotation. This track does that thing where the loop is cut slightly out of time causing a little stumble at the loop point. It's subtle, but I don't think I'll ever tire of that feeling. The close cousin of this effect, that just behind the beat lofi drum rhythm, also makes an appearance on track seven Venting to Myself.
The fifth track, Chilled Out, is possibly my favorite of the album. My immediate impression was that it sounds like background music for a cute bug making their way in the world. I immediately sent this track over to someone I know who is a musician and collector of bug music:
"i like it! love when you can tell that a song is just blatantly made with analog gear because of the background noises. it’s a very cute song :3"
The second half of the album is made using the same samples as the first but pitched down, along with variations on the chords and melodies of the first half. This makes for an interesting meta structure. The second half, representing night, is more subdued than the first. While that could have resulted in a dropoff in musical interest, the sense of familiarity resulting from the connections to the first half keep it interesting in this lower energy state.
In my ears, this album hits somewhere between nostalgic rainy day and cute little guy going about their day. While I think it would serve your relax/study needs perfectly, I would personally choose to pair this music with looking out the window at clouds.