Katie Gavin - What A Relief

Katie Gavin’s debut album What A Relief channels the raw vulnerability and homespun pop sensibility of artists like Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, and Ani DiFranco—drawing on their emotional tenacity as a guide for Gavin’s own journey toward self-discovery.

“This record spans a lot of my life,” Gavin explains. “It’s about having a deep desire for connection, but also encountering the obstacles that made it difficult—patterns of isolation or even boredom with the real work of love.”

Written over the course of seven years, What A Relief gathers a collection of songs Gavin always held close—tracks that didn’t quite align with the sonic universe she and her bandmates were building in MUNA. Many were composed on acoustic guitar and are rooted in a musical style that comes naturally to her: intimate, emotionally direct songwriting reminiscent of the Women & Songs compilations she grew up loving, which featured artists like Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos, and Sarah McLachlan.

That openness is the defining spirit of What A Relief—an album refreshingly unafraid to accept people as they are, even as it reaches for a life that’s kinder, wiser, and more loving. Gavin’s reflections on desire and intimacy feel lived-in and essential—songs that don’t claim to have all the answers, but offer a map for how to look inward and keep moving forward.