If the broadness of her intended audience made the creation of Color an overly stressful affair, Katie Gately might’ve found bittersweet comfort as her sophomore album (and first for the Houndstooth label) manifested itself over the past year or so.
Loom came about with exclusive inspiration from Gately’s mother, who passed away in 2018 from a rare form of cancer. Katie says herself that the album has her “mother’s voice in it,” and if we are to take that in a non-literal sense (despite Katie’s inclination to incorporate sounds from everywhere), it’s natural to start wondering about what this entails from a musical standpoint. Maybe the comparative lack of stress combined with the singular focus will result in a wholesale change in style and feeling?
Well, according to the official description of Loom, Katie employed a number of sound design techniques that reflect back on her mother and the experience of losing her. Miscellaneous rumblings recall the emotional core that was deeply dislodged at the time, while the track “Flow” was written from her mother’s perspective. Katie was the cancer on “Allay,” and “Tower” explores the medicine that was desperately employed. Supposedly the process was, understandably, a blur.
“Bracer” was her mother’s favorite track. Have a listen below, and pre-order the album here ahead of its release on February 14.
Loom tracklisting:
01. Ritual
02. Allay
03. Waltz
04. Bracer
05. Rite
06. Tower
07. Flow
08. Rest
More about: Katie Gately
