Kansas City duo Katy Guillen & The Drive have released their new single, “Goodbye Charlie.”
Made up of music and life partners Katy Guillen on vocals/guitar and Stephanie Williams on drums, the duo have described themselves as wanting to ‘empower spaces for women in music both onstage and off’, with a personal goal of bringing more feminine energy into the recording process.
Having released their debut EP, Dream Girl, in 2020–right before the first COVID lockdown, the duo has released “Goodbye Charlie” and previous single “Outcome” as a teaser for their upcoming second album, Make That Sound.
According to Guillen, “having never worked with a woman in the studio, that’s something we wanted to change on this record. We wanted more female energy, ideas, and power to influence this album.” This led the duo to producer Megan McCormick, who described the recording process as “dense and fast; it required being totally present.”
New single “Goodbye Charlie” hits a sweet spot between Katy Guillen & The Drive’s signature spiky garage rock and something sweeter and more ballad-shaped. Featuring buzzy basswork, shoegaze-style guitars, and a notably burst-like, staccato drumbeat, Guillen’s vocals float on top of this track, both strong and sweet at the same time.
The duo is heading on tour after the release of the album in October, including festival dates in support of UK guitarist Robin Tower.
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