There is beauty in the way an artist can make you contemplate your life and the world around you with the songs they create. It is a gift that some singer/songwriters have while others wish they had it. They naturally set off a flood of memories and feelings. Milwaukee’s Katie Lafond is a prime example.
Her latest EP, Cold, is a stark contrast from the overly fake “pop-folk” music that plagues the airwaves today. With just 5 songs on Cold, she sends everything from hope to fear through the listener. On top of that, her skill level is on par with artists of the 60s/70s folk scene she seems to emulate so perfectly.
The EP begins with the haunting “I Hate Me Too” which is hard to get all the way through without reflecting on yourself as a person and the relationships we forge. It’s an amazing track and a great start to the EP. It’s short and sweet and leads the listener right into “Drink Up”, which is yet another chilling tale about the other side of life. This song is about the privileged who beg for pity when they are the ones making trouble for themselves. It’s a beautiful and truthful song that is riddled with emotion, which makes it easy for the listener to continue through the EP. Katie recently completed filming on the music video for “Drink Up”.
The EP begins to pick up with “December 20th ” where she explores the necessity of having another person’s “warmth” in your life. An interesting contrast from the lead track of of “I Hate Me Too” but a great example of her lyrical versatility.
From there it’s on to “Dear Dawnlight” and which is easily my favorite track on the EP. I don’t know what is but there is something amazing about this song (I probably listened to it 20 times while writing this piece). It is a musically inviting song that reminds me of some of the great folk songs of the 60s/70s but an with element of modern pop. Katie Lafond is often described as “as an old soul trapped in a young body” and this is the track that proves it for me.
The EP wraps up with “Deadly Sin” which is my close second for EP favorite. A song that plucks along and keeps with the theme of love and loss is mixed with a chorus guaranteed to get stuck in your head. It is a solid piece that wraps up the EP with and leaves the listener wanting more.
Katie is currently at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee focusing on creative writing to help hone in her lyrics and songwriting (and it’s paying off). If you would like to get your own copy of Cold you can grab it on her bandcamp page and also take a moment to subscribe to her social media pages to get all the updates on her upcoming shows and releases.
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