How can music help us identify what we really are afraid of? Our weakness, our strengths, our fears? Music helps us as a medium of cathartic self-expression, of looking into the darkest corners of our mind. To confront everything we believe we are, even those things we are not very proud about. It serves as an exercise to know ourselves in a creative way. Catherine Elms’ debut album I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It is a journey of self-discovery, self-healing and self-actualization like none other. With a mystical, ethereal sound that enhances Elms’ emotional connection with her themes and powerfully transmits them to the listener, she presents a cinematic atmosphere where she blends pop, rock and orchestral sound as an autobiographical exploration of her darkest times and the light she found at the end of the tunnel.
Catherine Elms is a UK dark-pop singer/songwriter. Her music blends different styles, presenting different assets of her personality. At first glance, we can identify her fierceness with how she blends the harmonies with her powerful melodies. And yet, she is willing to show her vulnerability through her introspective vocals that carry a certain softness that puts her personality to shine. She puts her thoughts in the forefront and uses them to strike us like it was a fist without holding back. We have seen it before with the lead single of the album “Frustrations”. But the single is the first step she takes to drive us into an emotional, exciting journey.
I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It may be compared with a cocoon. With each track that progresses, the album slowly opens up to reveal the beauty that exists inside. Like a butterfly, slowly emerging from the coccon, it paints a journey of pain, in which we slowly learn of our mistakes, reflect on ourselves, and begin to accept ourselves in a new form. We realize we are not who we used to be: we have grown. This is evident in how Catherine Elms manages the emotional connection in her album. The first tracks of the album go hard with distorted guitars, anger, sadness and angst (“Sound And Useless Fury”, “Legs Crossed”) However, slowly, we begin to notice a more acoustic approach and a tender approach to the vocals starting with the track “Monday Eyes”. A nostalgic emotion guides us through the album; a trip through memories that shaped our lives in ways we cannot truly comprehend. Catherine Elms puts her thought process in the forefront, She uses her music as a way of self-reflection and finding out who she really is. Thus by the end of the album in tracks like “Apology” and “Things I Should Do”, we leave with a sense of hope: That no matter what we have been through, we can change ourselves for the better.
I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It starts of as a powerful heavy rock album and transforms into something completely different, as we follow Catherine Elms’ emotional journey. She masterfully constructs a cinematic way to guide us through it in an original musical and lyrical sense. We experience anger, sadness, happiness and hope throughout is fourteen tracks, as we identify ourselves with its anecdotes and emotions. I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It will release on November 18, so make sure to check it out if you are looking for a unique and expertly crafted experience!
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Spotify. You can also check out her official website. If you enjoy his music and are able to provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
You can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, Female Rising Stars, Indie Only, Sickest & Dopest, Debut Bands (Off The Radar), Chill Folk Acoustic, Uknown But Essentials!, and Autumn Acoustic
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!!!
This coverage was created via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
“Saw a devil in the dark and I swore it looked like you” – really liked that lyric. Her voice reminds me of Alanis. Kewirje did a great job giving background about the artist, I liked having that background to read while listening to the song.
Cath is great and yes, I also enjoy Kweirje’s review.