INDIE-MUSIC.COM
Four short songs. Enough to tease you, enough to break your heart, enough to make you want more, more, more of Katie Davis.
She calls it “solo sad girl rock,” and she names her EP Terrible, Terrible. I’m sure she was advised against it, but thankfully, wiser heads did not prevail. Because this defiance, this dare-devil contrariness, is at the heart of her intelligent, evocative music. Katie Davis is gutsy and true; do not miss her.
“She Hates Love Songs” introduces you to her breathy, seductive voice while challenging you to categorize her. Her astonishing madness is immediately apparent, and you know you’re in for a wild ride. “Tell Everyone” is more accessible, which is not at all to say predictable. Her phrasing draws you to the edge of your seat, the penetrating harmonies and the looming strings create a sense of intimacy, but ultimately it’s the brutal honesty of the lyrics that win you:
I think I know how the stretch of your hand
and the frame of your chest could feel
on me
show me I’m not so small
tell everyone
hold me against you
oh please
tell me you feel this too...
“Small” she is not. But the best of the four is “Movie,” a song of loss anticipated, which she sings with a kind of aching yet brave prescience. It’s this unexpected combo that transforms it into a song of strength. Her songs are empowering, but she comes in gently through the back door. Her bold honesty, sly humor and understated intellect shine through these sparkling tunes. The lush strings and delicate background vocals are gravy to the feast that is Terrible, Terrible.
