British singer songwriter Katie Kittermaster is a teenager with ambition and drive; having recently finished her ‘A’ levels, she has played at festivals throughout the summer, is currently on tour with Lucy Spraggan and is now releasing her first EP, Coming Home at Dawn. Haunting and emotive vocals marry with truthful lyrics that will resonate with many; indeed, the final track on this EP, ‘T”Shirt‘ won the Commonwealth Song of the Year and the UK Song Writing Contest this year. “Music is a really powerful outlet for my own emotions,” says the 18-year old and this EP does serve as a guide to all those encountering romance for the first time. That’s not to say that anyone can’t find resonance in these songs – their seeming simplicity hides some deep emotions and subject matters.
The EP opens with ‘Sunday Afternoon’, Katie’s debut single which is an ode to the comfortable, healthy relationship we all dream of, where the best thing is just to be with that special person. Lyrics like “I want to show you all the places that mean something to me, your arms are one of them” show why she was shortlisted for the Lyricist of the Year. Katie’s vocal range accompanies these words and melody beautifully; the listener believes her at all times.
From the opening optimism of Sunday Afternoon the rest of Coming Home at Dawn moves into darker territory, at first through the heartbreak of a relationship breakdown in ‘You Needed Me‘, looking at the pain that first love can inflict whilst also acknowledging that need and love are not the same. A similar theme runs through ‘Kaleidoscope‘ with Katie further exploring the fallout of the end of love: “It’s like kaleidoscopes, kaleidoscopes of memories come running back, running back to me / but he never does…and I know that now” shows an impressive writing maturity.
Before the upbeat, although heart breaking final tune of ‘T-Shirt’, Katie gives us her most emotionally honest and mature song, ‘Disaster‘. The disaster referred to in the title is a disaster of a relationship that started out as a love that was soon shown to be fantasy. Taking us through the initial feeling of safety and love, Katie then reveals the true nature of the relationship – meanness and cruelty are not love. Many women experience these types of relationships and excoriate themselves over their failure to see the true situation, which is reflected in the line “why did it take so long to realise’. Happily, by the end of the song, the protagonist understands that she is “worthy of more than a man like you”.
Coming Home at Dawn is an EP that delivers gut wrenching emotions disguised as seemingly simple songs – it wears its heart on its sleeve and is all the better for it.
Katie’s advice for aspiring artists is short and sweet, yet manages to say everything she needs:
“writing, work hard, gig and collaborate.”
Coming Home at Dawn is released on 1 November. Get your copy here.
Catch Katie on tour until 19 November. Or if you can’t make it, follow her at:
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