Next year, 2026, marks the 25th anniversary of David Kitt’s much-loved album The Big Romance. With work on The Big Romance (Kittser’s Version) nearing completion, Kitt is sharing a series of reworked and new tracks in the lead up to the full release.
Following recent singles Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY) and T’s & C’s, today Kitt shares new song All Been Gold, and a new version of You Know What I Want to Know.
Speaking on the double single drop, Kitt says:
“It was really important to get ‘You Know What I Want to Know’ as close as possible to the original and it was way more challenging than I expected. There’s a ton of detail in the vocal harmony arrangement and bassline in particular that I really had to study to get right and certain sonic flavours that were elusive. Ken McHugh did a lot of the heavy lifting on this one, but it’s very much a Kittser production. I spent the bones of ten days on my own in Kerry trying to get it over the line with my younger self very much in the executive producer role and everybody’s finally happy, it’s got that hip hop bounce. It features Emma Gattrill on clarinet, my cousin Eamonn Brady, Ken McHugh and Richard Egan on vocals, and Ruth O’Mahoney on organ.
‘All Been Gold’ is a new track that I’m really excited to get out there and one friends seem to be diggin and people who’ve heard me play it at recent shows. It fits so well on the album and has that bit of Wu-Tang Clan in its DNA.”
“The video was made by recent IADT graduate Charlie Dineen, an artist and filmmaker working with primarily multi-format analogue photography and film. His work spans abstract approaches, including street photography, documentary and self-portraiture. Grounded in the tactile processes of analogue photography, his evolving film work continues to reflect his enduring fascination with light, materiality, and the alchemy of image-making.”
ABOUT THE BIG ROMANCE (KITTSERS VERSION)
Following his home-recorded debut Small Moments, 2001’s The Big Romance marked Kittser’s first experience working in a professional studio.
“The bulk of the original album was recorded at Pulse Studios off Camden St. with producer Ken McHugh – owner of many of the synths and samplers and drum machines I dreamt of owning back then. It was such an exciting time to have access to this dream palette of sounds and Ken’s skill and talent as a producer/programmer. I was bringing in records from underground electronica and hip hop as references for the sound I was going for and the results were a fusion of more traditional acoustic and electric instruments with electronic sounds and hip-hop flavours that was pretty fresh for the time. It felt like a distillation of all the things I was a fan of. It’s a sound I feel I’ve been honing and crafting ever since.”
The record – featuring the singles ‘Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY)’ and ‘You Know What I Wanna Know’ – sold 60,000 copies in Ireland alone and marked a major shift in Kitt’s life as a musician and performer.
Originally released on Warner Music, Kitt reflects: “the contract I signed back then means they own the rights to the album “for the universe forever”, apparently. Great! I approached them about a vinyl reissue for the 10th and 20th anniversaries and got nowhere. So, for the 25th anniversary, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a version of the album that I own myself and I’m free to press on vinyl.”
The new release features all ten tracks of the original album along with five new tracks and b-side and fan favourite ‘Saturdays’ – all lovingly and faithfully remade in Ballinskelligs, at Kitt’s home studio, with the invaluable help of Ken McHugh and drawing on his 25 years’ experience of making records with synths and samplers.
“I feel I’ve landed on a document that has the sonic and emotional DNA of the original – and at times improves on it, a record that will be cherished by fans of the original and would get the seal of approval from my 25-year-old self.”
‘The Big Romance (Kittser’s Version)’ will be released on All City Records on April 10, 2026, on vinyl, CD and digital.
Bandcamp: https://davidkitt.bandcamp.com/album/the-big-romance-kittsers-version
A special performance of the album in full, featuring friends and collaborators old and new, takes place at The National Concert Hall in Dublin on April 10. Tickets for this show are on sale now, and selling fast, at www.nch.ie ( https://www.nch.ie/all-events-listing/nch-landmarks-david-kitt-the-big-romance-apr26/ )
Photo credit – Erica Coburn