Dallas-born singer/songwriter Kaatii's childhood was all about music, from being exposed to the classical aesthetics of the opera to the contemporary sensibilities of bands like Radiohead, The Killers, and others. They started making music after receiving a guitar at age seven and even played their first gig ever at a local coffee house in Dallas, TX not long after. Kaatii, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, is currently in a sophomore year at the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in the guitar program, and their new debut EP Catharsis on my Bedroom Floor is the focus of the day.
The 7 track body of work is as introspective as they come and have songs that deal with delicate issues ranging from mental health, self-healing, self-doubt, and poignant personal views. It opens up with the sobering guitar plucks of "Dandelion Puff" which set the tone with pure emotions and vulnerability. This is followed by "Computer Problems,"a clever metaphor-driven tune that compares human feelings with computer terms.
Armed with their soft and sultry melodic runs, Kaatii takes listeners deep into a dreamy world with relatable analogies laced over soulful ethereal guitar riffs and soft percussions. The EP moves into a more moody and dark space in the instrumental song "uncertainty" which serves as the perfect precursor to "Perfect Mess" which shows Kaatii in their most vulnerable state yet as they struggle with doubts and the emptiness that engulfs one's soul.
While the track is brooding, Kaatii finds a silver lining as the song progresses and rises to a crescendo on the bridge and we see them coming to terms and finding their true North at the end of it all. The project closes out with "Moon Song" and "Orion," two songs that help close out the soul-searching theme of the song with their coming-of-age-esque feel.
Overall, the tracks are moody, and introspective and also have some bright spots and the fusion of pop with indie-folk music stylings sure makes it distinct. The project was co-written with Kara Connolly and produced by Andrew Heringer (Milo Greene, The Guest, and the Host) with string arrangements from Jordan Lehning.
Stream Catharsis on my Bedroom Floor on all DSPs here.
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