On her debut solo album What A Relief, to be released next month via Saddest Factory Records, Katie Gavin proves herself as one of her generation’s most deft songwriters, able to articulate discomfiting feelings with grace and pragmatism. What A Relief scrutinizes our collective need for intimacy and romance without judgment or harshness. It’s a bold, powerful debut solo record from Gavin and one that will speak to not just MUNA fans but anyone who appreciates clever and hard-hitting songwriting.
Today, she shares the latest offering, new single ‘Inconsolable.’ An acoustic, fiddle-driven confessional, the song sees Gavin leaning into the unguarded lyricism that has captivated listeners worldwide. The track explores the difficulties of being open in a relationship due to being “from a long line of people we describe as inconsolable,” proving Gavin’s innate ability to beautifully articulate complex emotions.
On the song, Gavin says: “I wrote this song in March of 2020, if you can believe it. I was thinking about how being in a relationship can sometimes feel like trying to speak a language you weren’t taught. We all have so much we are up against and we were all modeled very different ways of loving, so it’s hard to connect and it’s very endearing that we keep trying. We tried recording this song a few different ways, but we landed on taking it back to bluegrass with Sara and Sean Watkins. We recorded it in about ten minutes on one of our last days in the studio, which was a very special experience. The video was directed by Amalia Irons and a bunch of my friends came together to make that possible. I’m very grateful to them for that.”
‘Inconsolable’ follows previous album singles ‘Casual Drug Use’ and ‘Aftertaste.’ ‘Casual Drug Use,’ the album’s earliest-written track, is an anthemic post-breakup track that strikes the balance between infectious and heartfelt. Meanwhile, “Aftertaste” perfectly captures the thrill of a new love through light and airy melodies. These two tracks, along with ‘Inconsolable,’ prove that What A Relief is primed to be Gavin’s most sonically diverse and lyrically-intricate work yet.
WATCH VIDEO FOR ‘CASUAL DRUG USE’ HERE
WATCH VIDEO FOR ‘AFTERTASTE’ HERE
Described, accurately, by Gavin as “Lilith Fair-core,” What A Relief taps into the unguarded self-possession and homespun pop sensibility of singers like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, and uses their tenacity as a North Star for Gavin’s own trek towards self-discovery.
What A Relief Tracklisting
- I Want It All
- Aftertaste
- The Baton
- Casual Drug Use
- As Good As It Gets ft. Mitski
- Sanitized
- Sketches
- Inconsolable
- Sparrow
- Sweet Abby Girl
- Keep Walking
- Today
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