Rochester-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Katie Morey has been a part of a plethora of projects in her career, working in acts such as Paul’s Grandfather, Cottage Jefferson, The Prestons, Ben Morey and the Eyes among others. She became perhaps best known as the lead of punk rock outfit Pleistocene, releasing a number of records which combined retro pop jangle with raw punk energy and won acclaim from the likes of Heartbreaking Bravery and Post-Trash. After the band’s demise in 2016, Morey began working on solo material, and two years later released her indie folk record, Soap Opera.
This spring sees the release of Friend of a Friend, a brand new Katie Morey record which builds upon what has preceded it. The lush introspection of Soap Opera was pocked by instances of surreal imagery, and Friend of a Friend develops both to create the most confident and versatile tracks Morey has written to date. Take lead single ‘Curlique Telephone Wire’, which balances tenderness and assurance to achieve a reflective air. A song which “carr[ies] you back into memories of youthful crushes and nervous romance,” as Under the Radar put it in when unveiling the track. “Morey’s lyrics trace her past in vivid impressionistic imagery, colored through the rose-tinted haze of memory.”
Today we’re delighted to share the latest single, ‘Water Snakes’. A track even softer and more welcoming, at least on the surface. The sound is rendered in warm, pillowy tones, Morey’s vocals nestled within and inviting the listener to join them. But push beyond into the track’s imagery and its conflicted depth emerges. A sadness leaking through the gaps, slowly forming a body of water into which Morey must wade. A pool lonely and dark and deep which she nevertheless returns to. A place to shed, to lose one’s weight, even if nothing is solved in the act. “I am the moon’s reflection on the lake,” Morey sings. “Dark and cold, I always fall for the mirrors and the smoke.”
Wading in the water
I was the colour blue
I tried to tilt my head back
and let my thoughts swim loose
they circled round like water snakes and disappeared into the lake
I watched the ripples scatter in their haze
Album Artwork by Justin Pulver, photography by Will Cornfield