Following up on her promising debut LP The Wonder of It All, Nashville-based artist Kate Kelly is back with “Quiet as a Mouse”, a heartfelt new single that reveals another side of her artistry. With her two previous records, New Heartbeat EP in 2016 and The Wonder of it All in 2018 greatly influenced by jazz and soul music, “Quiet as a Mouse” marks a shift in her musical direction. Inspired by artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, Feist, and early-career Ingrid Michaelson, Kate Kelly is now exploring a more indie-folk, ambient sound. This is a softly strummed, dimly lit barroom ballad. For me, this track personally echoes Norah Jones in places and, whilst the song has light upbeat delivery, a somewhat chilling and somber tone truly resonates.
Her new track could be the artist’s most personal and vulnerable song to date.”I wrote ‘Quiet as a Mouse’ several years ago as I explored feelings of abandonment after a breakup. It was an all-consuming emotion, one that I felt in my body and in the passing of time. This song became important to write as I learned how much of myself could be regained through being left alone. It is an exploration of being left, leaving, and saying goodbye. There is strength in our endings if we honor the pain” confides Kelly.
The singer-songwriter teamed up with New-Orleans based visual artist Virginia Walcott to create a simple yet powerful black and white music video that adds another layer to the meaning of the track.”The pain of feeling detached or unwanted in the presence of someone who once felt like home can be paralyzing. For this reason, it seemed obvious to us that the video needed to first create feelings of discomfort, rawness, disillusionment, and fear. But the song doesn’t just address the difficulties of leaving and being left — it takes you on a journey through what it feels like to fall and then rise, embracing a new beginning. There is a turn at the end of the video that sheds light on the joy, freedom, and renewal that exists if you truly move through your pain. You can find that home is not just another person, place, or feeling — it’s also yourself” explains Virginia Walcott.”Quiet as a Mouse” will be available on all digital platforms.
Images, courtesy of Project Light Agency