Whatever Happened To Kitty Play Records?

By Tim Murr

Kitty Play Records has been flying under the radar for years despite consistently interesting releases, with handmade album sleeves and graphic design work, as well as limited edition vinyl and tour-only releases. Among the multitude of newer acts the label has shepherded, they’ve also released side projects from members of well-known acts like Rocket From The Crypt, Pig Destroyer, and Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

Owned and operated by Mark Blumenthal, Kitty Play was launched in 2003. After a brief hiatus, the label was re-launched in 2010.

Kitty Play is one of the few record labels that still puts out albums on cassette tape. I’m always surprised to come across this format in the wild and especially to find new ones. For a lot of people, I think, cassettes are dinosaurs like 8-tracks, but consider that cassettes have a lot of charm.

Yeah, they would warp if you left them in a hot car or played them too much. And yes they were annoying if you had a weak album and only wanted to hear a few songs that you had to keep fast-forwarding to find. Yet cassettes also encouraged patience with an album whereas I’ve always been more likely to skip around between tracks with CDs and MP3s. There is also the fun and versatility of making a literal mix tape, so I really appreciate Kitty Play helping to keep this format alive.

Kitty Play’s cassettes look very cool, and are obviously a labor of love along with their vinyl releases. With a roster that includes such diverse acts as Witches of Malibu, Bastard Noise, Wet Labia, Facialmess, Hive Of Wires, and Moving Units, Kitty Play and Mark Blumenthal should move out from the shadows of the in-the-know and get the proper recognition the label so richly deserves.

You can check out Kitty Play on Facebook and on the label’s website.