What a Relief


What a Relief is the debut studio album by Katie Gavin, lead singer of indie pop group MUNA, released through Saddest Factory Records on October 25, 2024. Essentially a Folk-pop album, "What a Relief" received generally favorable reviews from critics.

Background

Written over the course of seven years, What a Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which "had something in them" that she and her bandmates felt did not quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with Muna. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar.
The album's cover art is a photograph taken by Catherine Opie at Gavin's home.
The album was released on October 25, 2024.
Prior to the album's release, she released three singles "Aftertaste", "Casual Drug Use" and "Inconsolable".

Critical reception

Marissa Lorusso of Pitchfork stated, "While it doesn't reach the soaring highs of Gavin's work with MUNA, What a Relief offers introspective self-portraits whose sound calls back to Gavin's youth and stories rich with the kind of empathy that's only gained over time." Robin Murray of Clash called the album "a valuable insight into a profound creative talent, and a gorgeous listen." Rachel Kelly of Exclaim! commented that "The album highlights Gavin's distinctive vocals and lyricism in a contemporary update of Lilith-core folk music, but the entire project feels intimidated by its own potential."

Accolades

Track listing

All tracks written by Katie Gavin, except "Inconsolable".
Note: "Keep Walking" contains an uncredited interpolation, not originally listed in the album's liner notes, of a still uncertain composition by Sinéad O'Connor, whose composition credit was formalized after the album's release, but no further information was provided by Gavin or O'Connor's estate.

Personnel

Musicians
Technical
Visuals