Phoebe Katis Releases 'Never Be A Cool Girl'

Sweet Reunion is self-reflective using the honesty learned as we age and face self-truths.

By: Jul. 02, 2021
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Phoebe Katis Releases 'Never Be A Cool Girl'

English singer-songwriter Phoebe Katis has released her new song, "Never Be A Cool Girl" - PRESS HERE to listen. The transparent and introspective indie-pop single from her forthcoming full-length, Sweet Reunion - out July 16 and co-produced with Vulfpeck's Cory Wong - abandons the idea of playing it cool by trading "hard to get" for getting to the point during the honeymoon stage of a relationship. PRESS HERE to pre-order and PRESS HERE to pre-save Sweet Reunion.

Like many of the songs on her previous two albums, 2019's Honesty and 2020's It's Ok To Cry, "Never Be A Cool Girl" reflects Katis' deliberate effort to channel every emotion experienced during her life into her songs. While Katis has never been the type of artist to shy away from vulnerability, Sweet Reunion is self-reflective using the honesty learned as we age and face self-truths. Embracing a writing style PopMatters says "plays out as part diary, part self-help manual," Katis is ambitious in her approach to Sweet Reunion, which unfolds in two drastically distinctive parts. Riding the optimistic and buoyant tones of tracks like "Paris," "I Am" and "Never Be A Cool Girl," the album's first act reflects the confidence and empowerment experienced as we embrace new love. While the second half of the album captures the raw emotion and responsibility of both sides of a relationship. "It Takes Two" zooms in on mutual accountability after a break-up, and "Songbird" and "Hope We're Happier" both embrace the search for a deeper truth, which is eventually found on the album's penultimate track, "Something," as it captures the juxtaposition of the upswells and the bitterness at the end of a relationship. The final track "How Far We Come" brings a sense of self-acceptance, peace and growth, allowing the closure we all hope to achieve after a relationship ends.

"I love getting my heart broken. Don't get me wrong, the deceit, the anger, the betrayal; that is PAINful. But give it time, and you realize that pain was worth it," shares Katis about Sweet Reunion. "If something or someone is supposed to stay in your life, they will, in some capacity. If they are supposed to visit for a short time and then step out of your way, there's not really a lot we can do about it."

Fans can hear songs from Sweet Reunion two days before it is released in full, when Katis plays her first American show at Bowery Electric on July 14 - PRESS HERE for tickets. "I can't wait to share this new music with a live band and live audience," Katis admits. "I've always felt a buzz playing to American audiences; I think the classic singer songwriter style is more widely loved over here, and that feels really great."

Katis hopes fans will connect to Sweet Reunion for the same reasons she does -- as your very own therapy session. On the musicality of the album, Katis shares, "I've always been told to write upbeat, fun, feel good, fast tunes. There's always been something in me that wants to defy that. I looked at artists like Adele & Bon Iver whose music is based on emotive atmospheres and embraced a lot of musical influence in my home, from Broadway to powerhouse vocalists like Liza Minelli, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, to Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Gyspy Kings, and Santana. I was around 13 years old when I started listening properly to pop music, and especially to female pianist singers like Carole King, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones. They showed me you could write emotive piano ballads and pop bangers, with huge success across the board."

Listen here:


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