Album Review: Katie Von Schleicher Shows “Shitty Hits” Is All We Get In Life
Katie Von Schleicher’s debut, Shitty Hits, places beauty over madness. If each mind is its own world, then to Katie, each one is bound to bouts of chaos. A person can be a walking war, in which Shitty Hits uses songs as the bomb and care-packages we send to our spirit for not being in control of life.
The hardest thing to accept in life is this dichotomy: I cannot control life, but I can control myself. The reason this is a paradox is because we all, as human beings, feel we are life. Yet, though we are a part of this cosmic force, we are not actually it, which is why the best we can do when approaching our days and dreams is control our actions and reactions. Moreover, we must accept that life moves through you; you do not move through life. Alright, I will end my Oprah tangent, but this is the level of wise intellectualism and true sentiment that Katie serves in her music. She is so brazen and unafraid to say that she is afraid. The lyrical “paradox” being that we often believe we are powerful by denying our powerlessness, but Katie is a voice that finds strength in acknowledging her weaknesses. Thus, tracks like “Hold”, “Midsummer”, “Mary”, and “Life’s A Lie” shine as ones that show Katie vocal and emotional range. She can be breathy and seductive, but also dramatic and forceful. She can vocally whimper and quake as if she is both the victim and victimizer in her life’s tale. The duality is enthralling, and gives the album a subtle theatricality. You never know what emotion or singing tool of emotiveness Katie will use, yet you know the theme will always fall back on her desire to grab life and make it what she wants, while knowing it is life that will grab her according to its plans.
Shitty Hits is an amazing debut, and reflects on how, in life, shitty hits might be all we feel there is to gain. “Paranoia”, “Isolator”, and “Going Down” rivet in their ability to show fragility and ferocity can live in the same person. How we, as human beings, carry so much greatness and devastation, all at once, I will never know. Yet, Katie Von Schleicher is certainly a songstress I will turn to to help me figure it out. For More Information On Katie Von Schleicher And To Buy Shitty Hits On July 28 Click Here.
