At Rave Child we usually only cover records for Scottish acts or ones based in Scotland and Debbie Kate is an Irish girl now based in England, however it’s clear that the former Glasgow based musician still has the city in her heart, as not only does she collaborate with a collection of Glasgow musicians here, but her latest EP was also recorded at Chem19.
Kate’s deceptively delicate and soothing vocal begins opener and title track ‘Trapped Bird’ and immediately it’s noticeable that the former Aerials Up member hasn’t strayed too far from her bands folk tinged indie pop sound; you can’t hold it against her though as they were certainly a force to be reckoned with before their untimely demise a few years ago.
Yes Trapped Bird is a little more bare and stripped back that the majority of Aerials Up’s material but it still packs a punch as the gentle opener builds to a powerful crescendo of pounding drums with Kate’s tormented lament of “I don’t know what I need to do,” as she pleads to be let go from the traps of life’s doldrums.
At points Trapped Bird is a jaunty pop tinged record with tints of warmth leaking through (‘Dancing On My Outsides’), however there’s a definite sparse sadness felt throughout as Kate’s jazzy hinting voice allows her to lay her heart bare on this delightful yet haunting return to the solo musical world.
Words: Iain Dawson
