Why This Is The Kit’s New Album “Careful Of Your Keepers” Is One of Indie Folk’s Most Emotionally Rich Releases

Words: Josh Fundafunda

This album is full of poise. It has been 17 years since This Is The Kit first began releasing music, and by now Kate Stables and the rest of the group have immaculate control over the sound they create.

Across Careful Of Your Keepers, the contemporary folk band continue refining their warm, emotionally grounded approach to indie folk music without ever losing the intimacy that has defined them from the beginning.

The album’s formula is deceptively simple; thoughtful composition, warm acoustic textures, controlled percussion and subtle horn sections create an atmosphere that feels both expansive and deeply personal across the project’s half-hour runtime.

"The album often feels like a contemporary interpretation of bluegrass and British folk traditions, which feels fitting for a band whose roots remain closely tied to the West Country..."

Of course, everything ultimately revolves around Stables’ quietly captivating vocal performance, with the instrumentation carefully built around her reflective songwriting.

That same warmth and emotional restraint has also become central to a newer wave of British indie-folk records, particularly throughout the intimate songwriting explored on Flyte’s latest album.

The album often feels like a contemporary interpretation of bluegrass and British folk traditions, which feels fitting for a band whose roots remain closely tied to the West Country.

This Is The Kit’s New Album Blends Warm Folk Instrumentation With Emotional Storytelling

Image via Brassland

Take “Scabby Head and Legs”, whose restrained drum lines and soft lead guitar create a strange sense of comfort beneath the song’s emotional uncertainty.

The instrumentation plays in stark contrast to Stables’ near existential lyricism: “Measuring the roots, of the tree // Deep into the ground, going deep // Choosing what to keep, treasure chest // Painful letting go, of the rest.”

Her repeated questioning throughout the track feels like someone reaching for clarity in the dark. Perhaps the fact the album was pieced together across the last two years contributes to this lingering sense of instability and emotional reflection.

"The memories Stables reflects upon feel less like nostalgia and more like glimpses of a happy childhood still unfolding in real time..."

That understated emotional vulnerability increasingly feels central to the wider resurgence of modern indie songwriting, particularly amongst artists such as Delilah Montagu, whose music similarly balances intimacy with atmospheric production.

It is not all emotionally heavy though. “Stuck in a Room” works beautifully as an allegory for raising a child, with the exchanges between Kate and her daughter feeling both chaotic and heartwarming at the same time. The memories Stables reflects upon feel less like nostalgia and more like glimpses of a happy childhood still unfolding in real time.

Earthy hand percussion and loose maracas gently pull the song forwards while Kate softly admits that it is “Good to be honest but stings a bit too”.

How Kate Stables Shapes the Sound of This Is The Kit

Over the years, This Is The Kit have seen a constantly evolving lineup of collaborators drift in and out of the project. After nearly two decades, that evolution feels inevitable.

Musicians including Neil Smith, Jim Barr and Rozi Plain have all contributed their own textures and musical identities to the group both live and in the studio. It is one of the most compelling aspects of This Is The Kit’s catalogue because every album feels subtly reshaped by the people surrounding it, while Kate Stables remains the emotional anchor holding everything together.

That fluid and collaborative approach to songwriting mirrors the genre-defying direction increasingly shaping modern alternative music, much like the experimental indie sound associated with Mk.Gee.

"Their music ultimately feels timeless because it values emotional honesty over trend-chasing, allowing the album’s warm instrumentation and reflective songwriting to linger long after it finishes..."

Take “Inside Outside” for example. Kate’s rolling, repetitive vocal phrasing guides the track forward while the guitar and percussion carefully follow her lead. Ultimately, it is a song centred around emotional connection and the fragile fear of change.

The line: “All the molecules were focused on your next move // Didn’t mean to move, didn’t mean for it to move you” captures that feeling beautifully.

It is no surprise This Is The Kit have steadily built such a devoted following over the years. Their music rarely chases grand gestures, instead relying on emotional honesty and subtle musical detail.

Why “Dibs” Is One of the Album’s Most Powerful Moments

Image via Brassland / Photo by Lucy Sugden Smith

“Dibs” is probably my favourite song on the entire album. Each listen creates a strange sense of nostalgia that feels both comforting and quietly devastating.

Soft piano arrangements and mellow guitar lines drift gently beneath Kate’s reflections on connection, time and emotional distance. The way she structures each phrase feels incredibly deliberate, giving every lyric space to fully settle before the next arrives.

Her delivery of: “Since the beginning of time, man out of time // Let’s pretend not to know that we’re out of time” lands with a bittersweet emotional weight that lingers long after the song finishes.

The song closes the band’s seventh album perfectly, leaving behind a feeling of quiet acceptance rather than dramatic resolution.

Why This Is The Kit Continue to Stand Out Within Modern Indie Folk Music

What makes This Is The Kit so compelling is their refusal to overcomplicate emotion. Careful Of Your Keepers is subtle, patient and deeply human throughout.

While many modern indie releases lean heavily into aesthetic or production trends, This Is The Kit continue focusing on atmosphere, storytelling and emotional sincerity.

That preference for intimacy over spectacle is also part of what has allowed independent artists such as Alice Phoebe Lou to resonate so strongly with audiences searching for more emotionally grounded alternative music.

It also reflects the growing appetite for artists who prioritise emotional depth, textured instrumentation and understated songwriting over mainstream convention, particularly across the newer generation of emerging independent musicians currently reshaping the UK alternative scene.

Their music ultimately feels timeless because it values emotional honesty over trend-chasing, allowing the album’s warm instrumentation and reflective songwriting to linger long after it finishes.