the slits

Bristol, UK-based producer and songwriter Laura Kidd—a.k.a. Penfriend—is either a shapeshifter or one of the most multitalented people we know. Or both. In her early years as a bassist and vocalist for hire, she appeared on Top of the Pops with such artists as Tricky, A-ha, and Viv Albertine of The Slits. She even sang with David Bowie on the Ricky Gervais series Extras.  After her band She Makes War disbanded in 2019, she went to her home studio to write, record and produce her just-released album Exotic Monsters, an ambitious opus making waves even before its release.  Her March 2021 single, “Black Car” came out almost exactly one year after the UK went into lockdown. It’s a beautiful, emotive reflection of isolation and loss. “That this single release marks the anniversary of ...