by emmalyne errickson
photo by kendall rock photography
I recently had the amazing opportunity to interview Katie Kuffel, who is an upcoming Seattle-based musician/artist with a captivating voice and lyrics that holds such a deep meaning for her and her fans. Katie's music advocates against violence and sexism, goes through feminism, and so much more. Her upcoming album Alligator explores through everything that she has experienced and hopes to have her fans know that whatever sort of problem (big or small), you should reach out to someone or find an outlet to direct the emotions in you to something you're passionate about. Her song “Carillon” is amazing, and showcases all sorts of emotions and hidden messages that is for her fans to find and understand.
What can people expect for your upcoming album Alligator? Anything different than what you’ve made before?
K: “The songs and compositions are more supportive of the lyrics, I feel. Alligator is a more balanced relationship, where the music always cups my voice, supporting it and lifting it. This feels like the first album I’ve made where I’m in full control of the music, too. It’s hard to explain what I mean there, but I want to tell you that I started recording when I was really young, like 17, before I had the confidence and the voice that I have now. With all my other albums up to this point, I relied heavily on the ears and expertise of others, not trusting my own skill or instincts, and I think that... hesitancy showed through the music. I didn’t feel the same proud ownership like I do with Alligator. While yes, I’m working with an awesome producer and amazing musicians, this album is entirely mine. You can listen to it, and feel like you’re looking at a fish tank, and inside are all the parts of me on display. Unapologetic, varied, and undoubtedly my own.”
How did you come up with all your songs in your upcoming album Alligator coming in early 2021?
K: “I wrote a lot of these songs on my own, when I came home from a tour in 2019, and also when my live shows slowed down in 2019. I think giving myself the space, and distance from playing with other folks allowed me to rediscover my point of view. I’ve come to terms with my need for solitude and time in order to write something I’m proud of. I write a lot of these songs rooted in some experience of mine or rooted in kernels of feelings I’ve had and explored. They’re not always literal, but I think the spirit of them is authentic, because I like to write about difficult things that make me uncomfortable. Things like generational trauma, relationships, femininity. It’s a meditation where I can be utterly frank with myself, and where I’m free to write through different lenses.”
Did your single “Carillon” come with some difficulties for you to write/sing for your fans or any new listeners?
K: “I didn’t know what this song was about while I was writing it. Only once it all came together did the pieces click. So much of it was unconscious, subject-wise. Other artists probably know that sometimes when you write you enter this fugue state, and you’re not operating in real life for a period. Then boom, a song comes out. For the uninitiated, Carillon deals heavily with my experiences of sleep paralysis, insomnia, and the foggy way I moved through the world in the aftermath of rape and assault induced trauma. But it didn’t feel hard to sing about. Lyrically it’s a bit of a Trojan horse, since the words are steeped in a lot of groove and driving energy. I think this eased the way for people to connect with it. It’s also vague enough that if you didn’t know me as an artist, you probably wouldn’t have too much of an idea of what it was about anyways, and I think both ways of listening to it are valid.”
How did you come up with the idea of “Carillon” with the fact that it let you speak openly about the violence against women during the 21st century?
K: “Grief and pain never really... go away all the way because extreme events test your mettle and impact your current and future self, even if you wish they didn’t. Not in a way where trauma defines you, but in a way that your perspective just... shifts after experiencing trauma. I’m someone who talks very plainly about this stuff, because I process those tumultuous feelings by making things and creating. Carillon was just the product of me continually reflecting and processing my own trauma, sharing the nuances of my own experiences as a survivor.”
In your single “Carillon,” there’s the repeated verse, “unring the bell.” What can people interpret from these specific lyrics?
K: “This is ripped directly from the saying ‘you can’t unring a bell,’ meaning once something has happened, it can’t be undone. I remember going through periods with thoughts like ‘I can just continue my life as normal,’ ‘I can pretend this didn’t happen’ and, ‘if this didn’t happen, my life would be better’ but that’s not... the reality of the situation. The verse references that desperation I felt, that wishing this didn’t happen to me. But the section immediately after turns into this extreme ownership. Coming to terms and fighting to define myself and work through my trauma on my terms.”
Any advice for your fans who may or may not be facing the exact thing that you’ve experienced or anywhere close to it, and what they should do?
K: “My main advice deals with mental health and recovery in general. I think people live with more shit than they realize sometimes. If it’s available to you, even if you don’t think you need it, try doing talk therapy or another form of safe, unbiased reflection. Because you probably have stuff you need to address and heal from too. Mental health and issues are never your fault, but they are your responsibility to care for, grow from, and understand.”