WHAT A RELIEF (OLIVE VINYL)

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