Katie Gavin, member of pop band MUNA, released her debut solo album, “What A Relief” on Oct. 25. Gavin teased fans with the release of singles “Aftertaste,” “Casual Drug Use” and “Inconsolable” over the past few months, leading fans, including myself, to eagerly await the album, but it proved a little unsatisfactory.
The 12-track debut starts off slow with “I Want It All,” a song that paints feelings of desire and the fatigue of yearning. Gavin’s use of tone is impeccable in this, as she sings delicately but still with a sense of want. Lyrics like, “I want you to dream me when you’re not sleeping / And I want you to miss me when I’m right next to you” are simple yet hard-hitting.
The album takes a sharp turn after that though, with the songs, “Aftertaste,” “The Baton” and “Casual Drug Use,” being much more upbeat and pop-influenced, showing off Gavin’s divine vocal flips that initially drew me to MUNA. “The Baton,” however, was tempting to skip. The album explores love, lust and loss, but this song shifts to a clichéd mother-daughter theme with a folk feel that didn’t resonate.
The next two songs though … wow. “As Good As It Gets” featuring Mitski tells a tale of a flawed relationship that has lost its spark, but those involved just can’t seem to end it. It truly embodies this idea of settling with lyrics such as, “I get disappointed too / When love is not what I dreamed / You only understand me / Eighty percent of our days / The sex can be amazing / And otherwise it’s okay.”
Gavin and Mitski come together in the chorus to sing, their voices blending together magically. The repetition of “I think this is as good as it gets” is signaling the acceptance that the relationship is not perfect, but tolerable. Mitski has her own verse following the first chorus, where she hits hard with the lyrics, “I want you to disappoint me / On and on until we’re old,” further solidifying the motif.
This is probably my favorite song off the album, just because of how intense the message is despite having such simple lyrics — and of course, you can’t go wrong with Mitski. The next song, “Sanitized,” is a very close second though.
“Sanitized” explores the idea of erasing or changing oneself to fit someone else’s standards. Lyrics such as “I wet the washcloth / To rub off the dirt on my feet / God forbid I should ruin your nice white sheets” examine this topic on the surface, but then “I take my clothes off but leave a layer underneath / As if I would ever let you see me / As God intended,” are a much deeper, gut-wrenching and beautiful way to put it.
The chorus asks, “How could anything grow here,” to showcase the way a relationship can never blossom into a real connection if one person is consistently hiding their truest self. The funky yet authentic lyrics are backed by a splendidly unsettling synthetic beat that honestly scratches an itch in my brain. It is unlike anything else on the album.
“Sketches” and “Inconsolable” fell flat, and the latter frankly sounds more like a country song than something that should be on a rather pop-sounding album. “Sparrow” is gorgeously written, and Gavin’s use of an actual sparrow song within the melody is delightful.
“Sweet Abby Girl” is not really my speed, but is beautifully crafted. “Keep Walking” takes the last spot in my top three, as it is an empowering song backed by a lovely guitar melody.
The last track, “Today,” is reflective of the album and the journey, but I honestly think it didn’t have to be included. “Keep Walking” would have perfectly ended the album, as it gives a happy conclusion to the rest of the stories told within the previous tracks.
Half of the songs on “What A Relief” are gorgeous and moving, but the other half are truthfully just “meh.” I wish Gavin stuck to one particular genre and included more fun beats. The standout tracks are spectacular, but unfortunately, I think I’ll just keep listening to MUNA as a whole rather than her solo work.
3/5 stars
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Photo courtesy of @katiegavs, Instagram
