“Inconsolable” by Katie Gavin, Friday, October 18, 2024
Katie Gavin’s solo debut album What a Relief is due out next week on October 25th. The MUNA singer showed a change in musical direction from her first single “Aftertaste,” which took the electric-pop singer into ‘90s country. The second single, “Casual Drug Use,” took a more acoustic folk sound than its predecessor. In August Gavin joined The Japanese House on stage at the Greek Theater to perform their collaboration “Morning Papers” from The Japanese House’s 2023 album In the End It Always Does. Then during the encore, Gavin premiered her latest single, “Inconsolable,” which The Japanese House’s Amber Bain praised as “the best song ever written” according to Bain and her girlfriend. According to MUNA’s podcast Gayotic, Gavin said that her new album was a collection of songs written since 2020. Most of the songs were produced by Pheobe Bridgers’ producer Tony Berg, but between sessions with Berg, Gavin collaborated with Mitski and Amber Bain.
FULL OF BEDS WHERE NOBODY CUDDLED. “Inconsolable” amplified the country vibes of “Aftertaste” in Katie Gavin’s vocal stylings and the song’s instrumentation. The song opens with a fiddle and an acoustic guitar. Fiddle flourishes—played by Gavin—give the song a bluegrass twang throughout the song. Lyrically, the country song details a family line of “inconsolable” relatives who “don’t know how to love” and a “whole huddle of households full of beds where nobody cuddled.” These lines connect the song to the honest lyricism in country music. The song’s simple music video features footage of Gavin singing with a video backdrop of people in the house moving about, in a kind of Americana scene. The beginning scene shows children with sparklers signifying summer. As the video goes on, viewers notice that the faces of the people in the music video have sad or disappointed looks on their faces. But arguably the most country line in the song is: “I’ve seen baby lizards run into the river when they open their eyes / Even though no one taught them how or why.” This line is so oddly specific to a rural setting and Gavin delivers the line with the strongest twang we’ve heard yet.
I KNOW WHY YOU WON’T LET ME INSIDE. Gavin’s vocals also twang, a style commonly heard in country music. Recently, artists such as Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, and Shawn Mendes have either announced country projects or have released country songs. Pop stars have often flirted with the Nashville sound in the past, but a Country music reassurance, especially one that is unauthorized by the Country Music Association is interesting. Country music has deep roots in rural white communities in the southern United States. The genre's image has often been associated with white, working-class, conservative values. The country music audience and industry also have historically valued a narrow definition of authenticity. There has been a tendency to equate traditional country with a specific set of cultural norms, often excluding those who don't fit within those boundaries. For example, Black, LGBTQ+, and non-white artists are sometimes viewed as outside the "authentic" country mold, despite their talent and contributions. The combination of cultural roots, perceptions of authenticity, industry gatekeeping, and market focus has contributed to the difficulty diverse groups face in gaining acceptance within country music, though far more diverse artists are taking to the country sound. That being said, the industry doesn’t patent a sound and anyone can make country-sounding music. For Katie Gavin, the singer describes her first solo album as “stripped away from MUNA” and “bringing it back to her musical roots.” Afterall, doesn’t one’s experience dictate their culture more than the people who accept them in that culture?”
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