I’m not a critic with a checklist, just someone who sat up late with headphones and let this record take over for a while. Kitty Rae released Lightning Strikes a while back and you can tell right away it’s a personal one. The album plays out like a conversation that shifts between quiet confessions and louder moments of defiance. It’s raw, warm, and completely human.
The opening track pulls you in with a steady pulse, soft synths, and Kitty’s voice that feels both fragile and steady at the same time. You can sense there’s more behind the words, and that feeling makes you want to keep listening. As the songs unfold, she talks about self-acceptance, identity, and the weight of being seen in a world that often looks away from people who don’t fit a mold.
“Villain” instantly stood out to me. Kitty sings with a sharp edge, tossing off judgment like it doesn’t belong to her anymore. The dark electro-pop beat adds a shadow to the confidence in her voice, and when the chorus kicks in, it’s pure release. “Living” goes the other way, pulling things back into something tender and still. It’s soaked in emotion, and when she lets the quiet linger, it hits even harder.
I liked how she never leans too far into one sound. The production gives everything room to breathe. Some tracks feel stripped back, while others swell with energy, but it all connects naturally. The contrast between light and dark gives the album a heartbeat.
By the middle of Lightning Strikes, you can feel a thread running through it all — moments of hurt, defiance, and healing. She doesn’t overexplain. Instead, she lets you live in the gray areas, figuring it out for yourself. I kept going back to different songs depending on my mood. Some nights I’d need the spark of “Sick of Being Sad,” other nights the soft ache of “Living.”
You can tell Kitty Rae poured her real life into this record. She’s open about being a genderqueer artist, and that honesty runs through every note. Nothing about this feels overproduced or fake. It’s textured and sincere, full of small imperfections that make it feel alive.
If you like music that speaks straight from the chest and doesn’t hide behind polish, Lightning Strikes is worth sitting with. It’s a strong first album, full of emotion and quiet courage. Follow Kitty Rae on Spotify and social media to stay close to whatever comes next.
