Kitty Coen Invents Witch-Rock with Spellbinding Debut LP 'HELLCAT'
Photo Credit: Aidan Higginbottom
On April 30th, Nashville-based alternative pop/rock artist Kitty Coen shares her long-awaited, spellbinding debut LP, HELLCAT and along with the debut she released center of the sun where Coen learns to trust herself. Alongside the release, Coen announces a summer tour across the East Coast with alt-rock Americana musician Slow Funeral. It begins on June 13 in Greenville, SC with tickets on sale now here. HELLCAT sees Coen assert herself as a force to be reckoned with as she shines a light on the female experience and harnesses a distinct glowing fervor for life and love.
With the full collection, the stormy, swelling "center of the sun" opens the album with captivating layered vocals and a hypnotizing, simple electric guitar riff. Written four years ago at the start of the album process, Coen believes it encompasses that early energy and introduces the world of HELLCAT.
"It is ultimately a rock / dark pop anthem about following your intuition and heart no matter what trials and tribulations come your way. It's a reminder to follow your dreams even if you end up flying too close to the sun."
- Coen says
The artist cites Florence + the Machine, The Black Keys and a drive through the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas as inspirations for the track.
HELLCAT, the fiery, unapologetic collection by Kitty Coen, is a defiant body of work that showcases the artist's strength, perseverance and determination through a blend of genres, confessional lyricism and unflinching honesty. The title and the album's themes are derived from the word's definition, and its ties to societal rejection of women deemed "witches."
"At one time the word 'witch' was not negative but was applied to women who worked in holistic medicine to heal people with illnesses. Through time, the church detested these women because it argued with divine greatness and ultimately went against the church. They began hunting and killing any woman that fit this "description" consisting of any woman who appeared educated, attractive, tempting, or dominant in any way."
- Coen explains
It was this attack on women that has played a role in societal stigmas against women today, and with this project, the musician intends to take back her power and empower silenced voices along the way.
"I believe that this album shows the progression of a woman harnessing her anger and frustrations with the world and utilizing them to create magic, love and light."
- Coen shares
Over eleven potent tracks, including a collaboration with psych-rockers The Past Lives, Coen finds hope in struggle and finds solace in her own strength.
In February, Coen shared "yellow light," a hazy, nostalgia-soaked recollection of a first queer love throughout balmy summer nights filled with fireflies and mosquitoes. The airy, acoustic track reflects Coen's newfound romance that brings her ease and comfort like never before. Coen says the track is a testament to freely falling in love and, "showcases the alchemy of my music and how I have used the fire I have in me to harness love and magic instead of stew in my anger towards the world and ultimately the patriarchy." With her soothing vocals, Coen skillfully paints a vivid picture of a sentimental moment in time, capping off the project with a heartwarming memory and oozes with pride and joy.
Earlier this year, Coen shared a pair of cinematic tracks that channel what Coen calls "Western witch rock"–"cadillac" and "el paso" out now. Inspired by her time in West Texas and Western films, each track takes on a life of its own, delving into tumultuous love affairs and late night drives over smooth guitar licks and mesmerizing melodies.
Opening with dark and slick guitar tones, "cadillac" rolls in like the height of an old Western movie with a brooding baseline, and sultry vocals that paint a picture of smoke, an old car, a horse and "talking smack." Exuding an unmistakable dark and stormy energy, Coen describes the track as a "metaphorical dance with the devil on fateful night in a desolate West Texas saloon." The artist cites old spaghetti Western films and Quentin Tarantino as inspirations that touch on her roots to bring a refreshed sound that is uniquely Coen. Leading Americana and alt-country tastemaker Americana UK lauded, "Spaghetti Western guitars float behind Coen’s breathy vocals as she spins a tale of foreboding. The production sounds at times like Lana Del Rey being produced by Stuart Pearson: a gothic desert inhabited by a modern chanteuse."
The second single, "el paso," swiftly picks up where "cadillac" left off, evoking a Southern Gothic aura that envelops the listener. An autobiographical plunge into heartbreak, "el paso" sheds light on the pain that addiction can inflict on users and their loved ones. The Western-tinged acoustic ballad, Coen says, is "a true story about love and loss in my own life. In my opinion, being in love with an addict is one of the hardest things a person can go through." Musically, Coen points to the emotional country heavy-hitters like Noah Cyrus, Kacey Musgraves as influences, and reveals it was the creation of this song that pulled her in a similar direction, where she intends to keep going. Captivated by Coen's tone, Loud Women wrote, "el paso' is melancholic and soft. The country twangs are like we’re drifting along alone beside a sunset, the mountains embracing us for comfort."
Kitty Coen will bring the new music live on tour this summer across the East Coast and stopping in the South, including Charlotte, NC, Nashville, TN, Philadelphia, PA, New York City and concluding in Boston, MA in July. Don't miss Kitty Coen live. See a full list of dates below and grab tickets now here.
Born in Missouri and raised in Texas, Coen's music is deeply influenced by her upbringing. The result is a beautiful fusion of southern charm and modern indie influences, creating a sound that is both familiar and refreshingly new. After beginning her ascent into live music in early 2020 with "Dark Soul," Coen toured across the U.S. supporting bands like Mt. Joy, and Jive Talk and an appearance at Austin, TX's SXSW. Tastemakers around the world have taken notice of Kitty Coen's eclectic, genre-bending sound and eye-catching, bold aesthetic, including Wonderland's premiere of the 2020 track and video "Lost inCalifornia." Of her 2022 single "bad bad liar," Loud Women wrote, "Kitty’s soulful, nostalgic vocals remind us of artists such as Halsey and Miley Cyrus. She embraces her confidence in this piece of psychedelic rock and we are here for it." Unpublished Zine called 2022 single "rotten tomatoes," "fiery" and praised her artistry, writing, "Coen blends nostalgic 90s soundscapes with a dazzle of chilling poignancy and tales of self-exploration. Her style is as strikingly fierce and unapologetic as her masterful lyricism.." Equipped with her most vulnerable songwriting and most self-assured sound to date, Kitty Coen continues to build on her ever-evolving artistic identity and build a distinctive sonic universe in her relentless pursuit of self-discovery with the release of her debut album out now.
HELLCAT (LP) Tracklist
center of the sun
bad bad liar
unfollow me
black nails (ft. The Past Lives)
I’m afraid all boys are the same
watermoon 222☾ (interlude)
el paso
cadillac
everything’s a mess
rotten tomatoes
yellow light
HELLCAT, the potent, poised debut LP by Kitty Coen, is finally out everywhere now.
Coen will embark on a summer tour across the East Coast with Slow Funeral beginning on June 13 in Greenville, SC with tickets on sale now here.
