Katy Kirby - Wait Listen

Uh oh... i'm gonna be obsessed

New record from Katy Kirby is out! And I am going to be lost to this thing like a boat without a sail. Simply powerless to it.

Kirby is an incredible writer, these scenes painted to clearly, with her gorgeous poetry. The album’s opening track, Redemption Arc, is an impossible feat - a tone setter for what she can do with her writing. It’s like a novel printed to melody.

While I look forward to the hours I’ll spend with this record, Wait Listen has jumped off the page as an early favorite. A low slow groove, an upright bass, soft brushed drums, a quiet little guitar stringing it all together. Kirby sounds amazing, such a warm and gentle tone, even while delivering such devastating lyrics.

I find the chorus so compelling - Wait, listen a phrase that so many have turned to, jumped to, needed to try and fix a mistake. And there’s something about sharing that human reflex in song form, I’ve never heard it done quite like this before. Without the usual urgency in the phrase, there’s an air of acceptance, like come on, you must hear me out… The second verse is quieter, more sparse, and when Kirby lays down one hell of a lyric, the band brilliantly steps aside. The words hitting sooooo hard.

So I turned off my location
Let her fuck me like you thought you did
I remember every minute

The location detail… my GOD. The band comes back to life, so perfectly arranged, I really love what they've done here. A patient heartbreaker.