Katie Dey | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne[1] |
| Genres | Experimental pop,psychedelia,[2]bedroom pop,[3]singer-songwriter[4] |
| Occupation | musician |
| Labels | Orchid Tapes, Joy Void,Run for Cover |
Katie Dey is an Australianexperimental pop[2] musician.
Dey released her first album,Asdfasdf, in 2015 with the labelOrchid Tapes. Dey attracted the attention of Orchid Tapes founder Warren Hildebrand after Mat Cothran ofElvis Depressedly discovered Dey's blog.[5]Pitchfork rated the album with a 7 out of 10.[6] In 2016, Dey released her second full-length album,Flood Network, this time with the label Joy Void.[7][8] Pitchfork gave the album a 7.8 out of 10 rating.[2] In 2018, Dey collaborated on an album with musician Devi McCallion ofBlack Dresses, titledSome New Form of Life.[9] In May 2019, Dey surprise released her third full-length album titledSolipsisters, onRun for Cover Records.[10][11] Pitchfork rated the album a 7.9 out of 10.[3]
In July 2020, Dey released her fourth full-length album titledMydata, which received a 7.5 out of 10 from Pitchfork and was chosen as Album of the Week byStereogum.[12][4] Dey then released a sequel collaboration album toSome New Form of Life with Devi McCallion in September 2020 titledMagic Fire Brain.[13] The album was also selected by Stereogum as Album of the Week upon its release.[14] In January 2021, Dey released aMydata remix album titledUrdata with collaborators includingLaura Les, June Jones,Devi McCallion, andAda Rook.[15][16]
Dey's music has been characterized as "digitally warped"[14] and has been noted especially for her use of "distinctive vocal effects"[10] as well as by her "resourceful use of pitch-shifting and bizarre instrumental choices, for which she has been compared toindie rock/bedroom pop artistAlex G.[6] Despite her use of glitchy digital effects and Synthesizers, she has been characterized as a singer-songwriter: Stereogum writer James Rettig writes aboutMydata, “Take away the digitally fucked sonics and [her songs are] downright universal. She basically makes hyper-modern piano ballads, rooted in old songwriting traditions — a girl and a piano, trying to bang out some existential crisis."[4]
Dey has related some of these stylistic choices to her status as atrans woman. In an interview withThe Fader, she said pitch-shifting her vocals was originally "a way of relievingdysphoria and making my own music more palatable for me to listen to so that it didn't upset me".[10] Her collaboration albumSome New Form of Life marked the first time she released music with "totally unaffected"[10] vocals, which she attributes to confidence resulting from her friendship with fellow trans woman Devi McCallion. Her albumSolipsisters is written as an exploration of the relation between the soul and body and as a way of working through her personal conflicts in this area.[10]
Dey is especially interested in exploring online relationships and online communities in her music. She explains in an interview that many of her friendships have come from the internet via her music, including her friendship with Toronto-based musician Devi McCallion.[10] Dey's albumMydata is written, according to her, "explicitly about an internet relationship, which can be precisely as meaningful as a relationship that’s physical".[17][4] The album features a music video for the lead single "dancing" filmed in the online virtual worldSecond Life which depicts a long-distance online relationship.[18][17]
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Asdfasdf |
|
| Flood Network |
|
| Some New Form of Life (withDevi McCallion) |
|
| Solipsisters |
|
| Mydata |
|
| Magic Fire Brain (with Devi McCallion) |
|
| Forever Music |
|
| Never Falter Hero Girl |
|
EPs
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Kraken |
|
Remix albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Urdata |
|
Compilations
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| anomalies |
|
TheMusic Victoria Awards are an annual awards night recognising Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Katie Dey | Arts Access Amplify Award | Won | [21][22] |