Back in 2019, the Nottingham-based singer, songwriter and musician Katie Keddie made a splash with her debut single ‘Eighteen’, but since then the musical talent has delved two-fold into her PhD research while working quietly behind the scenes recording and playing local shows and festivals. Now, Keddie is back with a final recording and master of the very first song she ever wrote, ‘Comfort and Despair’.
It’s rooted in the singer-songwriter style, with the artist’s voice and guitar at it’s heart, but the production and added elements elevates the song beyond that. Rather than simple guitar, Keddie has interjected intricately played strings soaked in reverberation and her beautiful voice is accentuated by a misty effect, which sets her words just beyond our reach for the first minute. After this tranquil-yet-melancholic introduction, those mysterious sounds begin to gain a little more focus and the listener will begin to understand the power of Keddie‘s euphonic voice.
As this nostalgic track with all its bittersweet beauty continues to progress, that swelling sense of emotion is translated into searing electric guitar riffs and passionate percussion. By the end, ‘Comfort and Despair’ is no longer about ruminating on the past, instead its lasting impact is one of catharsis.
As a final note, here we have a message from Katie Keddie about how this long dormant song came back to life:
“This song was one of the first I had ever written back in 2019 and is about people lifting you up when you’re in a bad place. It really came to life just after lockdown when me and a group of close friends and musicians spent a week recording in a beautiful old mill in Wales. It will eventually be a part of my debut album ‘Alaska Sadness’ which I am so excited to share!”
You can also listen to ‘Comfort and Despair’ in our Folk This Way playlist.
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