Throughout the set, Kempner expresses wistfulness, humor, and acceptance in response to life’s setbacks, including a lost relationship, continuing to hone their knack for catchy tunes and guitar-driven soundscapes.
“Good Sex” puts Kempner’s proclivity for quirky narratives on center stage. The scene opens with “a corset” and ends with a “dusty living room / full of candy wrappers and dirty shoes”. Kempner’s slacker tone, blending disappointment and sarcasm, brings to mind various comedians who poke holes in Hollywood’s simplistic depictions of sex, suggesting that in the real world arousal and intimacy can be a bit more complicated.
“I’m living life like writing a first draft”, Kempner proclaims on the punk-inflected “Independence Day”, alluding to the merits of both flexibility and intention. “The Clutch” recasts Kempner’s perennial love for 90’s guitar-and-hook-driven pop a la The Breeders and Sleater-Kinney. An adrenalized solo midway would get a heart emoji from J Mascis. “You didn’t need my help”, they repeat at the end of the song, recalling the extended “a denial” outro to “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.
Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte formed a fertile symbiosis with Bachelor’s 2021 Doomin’ Sun. Kempner drew Duterte out of their introspective bedroom bent, while Som prompted Kempner toward a more singular songcraft. “U Want It U Got It” reflects the influence of the collaboration. “Dandelion crushed under your toe / spray the weeds so something else can grow / and I’ll be dead by the time you get home / plant in me your fantasy now”, Kempner offers, reflecting some of their more layered yet still pop-adherent lyricism.
“My Evil” gives voice to that resentful and murderous twin that lives in us all. While Kempner flirts with B-film caricature, they use rich textures and a compelling melody to render a potent confession cum self-diagnosis. On “Right About You”, Kempner observes how relationships drift toward homeostasis, also acknowledging the way in which an unexpected adventure can stir up the status quo (“flying down Blood Alley with one hand on your phone”). Closer “Fadin’” is a nostalgic testament to impermanence, specifically how once-important relationships can erode and eventually be forgotten.
While rites of passage can occur at any time, many people undergo distinct initiations in their late 20s, often as the result of a broken romance, thwarted ambition, and/or an outdated self-identity. With Eye on the Bat, it’s as if the 29-year-old Kempner shares the pages of their diary, revealing their reveries, fears, and embarrassments. Kempner may be now-oriented, but they’re also the beneficiary of a newfound and bigger-picture awareness.
