Spiritually meta symbolism eclipses the entire debut LP, What Is Unseen Still Exists, by Katie Noir, a pop artist who has revolutionised the moody pop zeitgeist in her first sonic strike. The standout single, Only Us, fuses introspective cerebralism and razor-sharp social commentary with kinetic beats that shift your perceptions as they lock into the rhythm of the spicy lyrical poetry.
The visceral electricity of the high-energy dance pop production sinks teeth of juxtaposition into the existential thematic core of the release as it rips the façade of meaning from everything except connection and the present moment. In doing so, Only Us coaxes listeners out of complacency, away from distraction and towards mindfulness, without ever sacrificing the addictive force of its pop architecture.
What Is Unseen Still Exists began as something deeply private for Noir, an apology to her closest friends that gradually became a 23-song debut album shaped by diary-like confession, recurring symbols, emotional callbacks and the number 23. That backstory gives Only Us even more gravity.
It would have been a tragedy if Katie Noir kept her debut LP away from the airwaves; she has the kind of voice and mind that outliers, creatives and listeners craving more than superficial hooks from pop will instantly gravitate towards. She has gone leagues beyond the spicy disinhibition that shot Chappell Roan and Lola Young to fame; she is the Camus of pop.
Only Us is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
