An artist infinitely fascinated by the natural world, Kathleen creates music as unpredictable
as
nature
itself: serene as well as explosive and ineffably dazzling. As a child growing up in the Rocky
Mountains, she began writing songs at age seven and later studied poetry in college, steadily
carving
out a truly singular songwriting voice that merges her ultra-vivid storytelling with idiosyncratic
observation. Soon after signing with Warner Records , the Los Angeles-based
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist made her debut with the critically acclaimed Kathleen I
and
Kathleen II, a pair of boldly original EPs that she collaborated on with such esteemed
producers as
Ariel Rechtshaid (HAIM, Charli XCX) and Daniel Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo, Caroline
Polachek). Her past
achievements include earning a vocal arrangement credit on Olivia Rodrigo’s GRAMMY-winning
album Sour.
Kathleen imbues her musical output with equal parts unbridled imagination and a visionary
sense of
purpose.“I think the main reason I make music is to create a vehicle for conversation and new
philosophies,” says Kathleen, a passionate environmentalist and supporter of the burgeoning
climate
movement founded on equity and community. “I want to provide a stage for people to share new ways of
thinking, and to make it as inclusive as possible. At the same time, my music is deeply tied to the
therapeutic process—it gives me a lot of peace to make something out of painful and confusing
times.”
On her new body of work, Kathleen once again reveals her rare gift for conjuring songs that
both
expand
the mind and hit with a visceral impact. Her new compositions illuminate an elevated sense of
exploration in her songwriting, tapping into a rich confluence of influences that spans from John
Prine,
Leonard Cohen, and Fink to Bjork, Fiona Apple and Kate Bush. Yet, her sound remains something
completely
of her own creation. On “Fever Dream,” for instance, Kathleen offers up a dizzying
piece of art-pop
built on frenetic textures, shapeshifting rhythms, and a sublimely unhinged vocal performance. “To
me
“Fever Dream” is an expression of the frustration of lockdown,” she says. “In one sense the
world
around
me was so calm—the air was more breathable, everything was still—but then there was also a feeling
of
being caged in this tiny space with no one around to help you process what was happening.” In
bringing
the oddly exhilarating track to life, Kathleen joined forces with studio mate Tim Friesen.
The pair
began experimenting with a cello banjo and effects pedals, creating warped sounds that would capture
the
right feeling for the finished track. From that point, Kathleen brought the song to her
frequent
collaborator STINT (Jessie Ware, MØ, Role Model) and then to Tim Anderson (who has produced such
artists
as Banks, Halsey and makes up half of Highland Park Sleep Collective), resulting in a potent fusion
of
sensibilities that carried the song into its final form. “The whole process was very experimental
and
high-energy –there was definitely an electric feeling in the room,” she notes.
A far more tranquil counterpart to “Fever Dream”, “How Long Will This Last” took shape during
the
brief
spell Kathleen spent living in a riverside cabin in Asheville, North Carolina. (“It was
summer and
the
smoke from the California wildfires was so bad that I had to wear an N95 mask inside my apartment,
but I
was fortunate enough to escape for a while,” she says.) Produced by Kathleen and Tim Anderson
and
rooted
in her elegant piano work, “How Long Will This Last” explores the emotional toll of endless solitude
(from the opening lines: “600 square feet all to myself and I am/Lonely as the moon”). “This song is
like the dark twin of “Fever Dream”; it’s describing the same feeling, but there’s so much
more
sadness
to it,” she says. “I just remember going for walks around my neighborhood and seeing the birds and
quiet
plant life and feeling grateful—but then after that you go home and close the door and the outside
world
is gone.”
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