Katie Dey ‘Fleas’

Another day, another atrocity in London. It’s becoming harder and harder to write about the mundanities of my daily life, and harder still to do justice to both the horror of these events, and as well the acts of kindness and human decency they have brought about. Victoria Coren Mitchell recently wrote an article entitled ‘Stop the world, I need a break’, in which she says, ‘the serious feels too awful, the non-serious too pointless and wittery’, which I’m sure will resonate with many of those who write, or vlog, or make music, or even just engage with social media. In a step away from the ‘keep calm and carry on’ spirit we try to adhere to as a nation, people are beginning to allow themselves to grieve, to be angry, to perhaps not carry on as normal – and that’s more than okay. For our own mental health, and for the mental wellbeing of the country, it’s important to acknowledge that we are sad for the loss of life, furious with politicians who do nothing to comfort those in need or address the root of the violence, and thankful for those who do (shout out to my man Jeremy C). If you are feeling sad today, take this as an invitation to go to the loo and have a little cry…Lord knows we all need it. Usually, the music I pick out for this blog is based on, among other things, it’s ‘newness’, but today I would like to glance back to those heady days of summer 2016 (remember when we thought 2016 was the worst year ever LOL), when Melbourne bedroom pop artist Katie Dey released her debut album ‘Flood‘. Lo-fi, stunningly tetchy, and ever so slightly kitsch, the album cemented her place as an ingenious songwriter and producer. Particularly entrancing is ‘Fleas‘, with her childlike nasal vocal swimming in and out of consciousness, as digital disturbances evoke hauntological flashbacks of life defining moments. Synths are pillowy and welcoming, whilst nail-biting 8-bit percussion usherd along the nursery rhyme style riff, creating an uncomfortable and somewhat nostalgic contrast between dream and reality. Which I think is where we would all rather be on days like today.