Katie Gavin - What A Relief [LP]

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: SAD011lp
Barcode: 674012927930
Release Date: 25 Oct 2024
Genre: Alternative

Katie Gavin’s debut 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. “This record spans a lot of my life – it’s about having a really deep desire for connection, but also encountering all the obstacles that stood in my way to be able to achieve that, patterns of isolation or even boredom with the real work of love” they say.

Written over the course of seven years, What A Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which “had something in them” that she and her bandmates felt didn’t quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with MUNA. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar, and are rooted in “a style of music that’s very much in my blood, and natural for me,” as typified by the Women & Songs CDs that Gavin loves, which compiled music by artists like Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan.

That openness of spirit is the overwhelming character of What A Relief, an album that’s refreshing in its willingness to accept people as they come, even as it remains in dogged pursuit of a life that’s kinder, wiser and more loving. Gavin’s explorations of desire and intimacy feel time-worn and necessary – songs that might teach a generation if not how to live, exactly, then at least how to look within oneself for guidance about how to move forward.

★ The debut album from MUNA’s lead singer, ‘What A Relief’ reveals a softer, earthier side of Gavin’s sound
★ ‘What A Relief’ features Mitski on pre-release single “As Good As It Gets”
★ Recent press and appearances include: Las Culturistas Culture Awards, TriBeCa Film Festival (in conversation with Ani DiFranco), LA Pride (w/ MUNA) and more 
★ Press + praise for MUNA include: Alternative Press (cover story), Uproxx (cover story), Rolling Stone, NPR Music, Billboard, The Guardian, NYTimes, BBC, Vulture, Variety and dozens more
★ First vinyl pressing on limited edition opaque olive vinyl
★ Social: Katie Gavin (solo) 111,000+ Instagram, 24,000+ 
TikTok // MUNA 166,000+ TikTok; 250,000+ Instagram, 
85,000+ Youtube, over 1.5M Monthly Listeners and 
385,000+ followers on Instagram

 SIDE A
1) I Want It All
2) Aftertaste
3) The Baton
4) Casual Drug Use
5) As Good As It Gets
6) Sanitized

SIDE B
7) Sketches
8) Inconsolable
9) Sparrow
10) Sweet Abby Girl
11) Keep Walking
12) Today