It’s been a huge summer for queer women in pop, and Katie Gavin is here to further the mission. Known predominantly as lead singer of the breakthrough trio MUNA and one host of the band’s gayotic podcast, Gavin is now making waves on her own, launching her solo career today (July 23) with debut single “Aftertaste.” It’s the first to come from her upcoming LP What A Relief, forthcoming on Saddest Factory Records, and offers a promising glimpse into what the full record may be.
Described by Gavin as “Lilith Fair-core,” “Aftertaste” is an exercise in negative space sonically and lyrically. Backed up by little more than vocal harmony, soft percussion, and guitar, Gavin lets her storytelling take center stage as she sings of the tenderness of new romance. Embodying the giddy energy of looking for a crush out in public, wondering when together if they know or if they know, the song is as real in its descriptions as it is poetic in its depictions. Coupled with the stripped-back beauty of the instrumentation, similar in its folk-country twang to MUNA album gems “Kind of Girl” and “Taken,” “Aftertaste” builds a world that centers the intricate beauty of queer existence.
“I thought this song would be a good place to start because to me it kind of serves as a bridge, sonically and thematically, between MUNA’s world and the world we are going to with the solo record,” Gavin says. “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. What A Relief explores and portrays it honestly, without shame.”
Alongside the single release and album announcement, Gavin also shared a smattering of solo tour dates. She’ll premiere her solo show this upcoming Saturday (July 27) at the Newport Folk Festival bike stage, an eco-friendly intimate side stage powered by the pedal power of festival-goers on mounted bikes.
Boston area fans who weren’t able to snag tickets to the festival will have a second chance to see Gavin on December 14 when she headlines Brighton Music Hall.