For Katie Gately, making a personal connection to music is everything. “A lot of records, like My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, that record was so hyped when I first heard about it that I could never really get into it,” she says. “It felt so burdened by the need to think it was amazing. It’s like, I don’t know if it’s amazing. I know everyone else thinks it’s amazing, but I don’t know if I do! You want to know that your gut has told you, it’s much more stirring when you’ve told yourself that, instead of being told.”
It’s a principle that extends to Gately’s own work as well, particularly her new album Loom, which is largely informed by the death of Gately’s mother in 2018. While grateful for the hugely positive reception the record has received so far, Gately is having to navigate how exposed having these pieces out in public makes her feel, especially in terms of playing live, something she’s done rarely in the past.
“I’ve had an anxiety disorder since I was eight-years-old,” Gately says. “But in the past I’ve had a pretty debilitating anxiety disorder, and the trigger for me in terms of having panic attacks is being the centre of attention. Ever since I was a little kid I avoided attention. I didn’t speak in class, I didn’t do anything that would attract attention. And I found myself making records where people are like, okay, you want my attention? And then you get on stage and say ‘look at me’, you know. So it took me a long time – it’s hard to fast track through that kind of issue if you’ve had it your whole life. Most of the records I love are helping me calm down from my anxiety."
Katie Gately’s Loom is released via Houndstooth on 14th February 2020, she plays Cafe Oto on 1st April. Click the pic of Gately below to begin reading through her Baker’s Dozen selections
