Debbie Kate

Irish songstress Debbie Kate begun her career on Dublin’s open mic circuit before relocating to Glasgow to write and record debut EP ‘I.Sea’, which quickly received airplay on BBC Radio 1 Scotland and led to support slots with Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Colin McIntyre, George Ezra, Pearl and the Puppets, Emma’s Imagination, Marina Celeste and many more.

The follow-up to ‘I.Sea’ - “‘Trapped Bird’ - comes 2 years later from the singer’s new home in Cornwall, it’s dramatic scenery and exposure to the stormy Atlantic providing new inspiration for her material. The final stages of the process saw Debbie bring the songs back to the heart of Glasgow to collaborate with guitarist Neil Mulholland, drummer Chris Grant, bassist Chris Rodger, violinist Cat Calton and cellist Ruth Campbell.

Bringing the sounds in her mind from desolate coastlines to the heart of the city creates a wonderful juxtaposition of influences and a noticeable tension on the record. The sound is more mature, more atmospheric and features a new, more diverse palette of sounds comprising of dramatic electric guitars, discordant strings and haunting layered vocals.

The EP’s title track is also the lead track, starting with deceptively smooth vocals singing desperate lyrics set against a sparse, almost jazzy background. The song then falls abruptly into a bedlam of pounding drums and a tormented, stirring vocal performance as Debbie tells the story of a creative soul becoming ensnared by spiralling fears of an unremarkable life.

‘Trapped Bird’ was recorded by Jamie Savage in Glasgow’s seminal Chem19 Studios (Mogwai, The Delgados, Admiral Fallow).