KT Laine’s songs speak for themselves, and she is in no rush.
KT Laine’s debut album Knock Knee came out on Victory Pool at the tail end of 2022, following single releases that punctuated the Alberta-born songwriter’s move from Victoria to Montréal. Channelling Feist, Julia Jacklin, and Sybille Baier, Laine writes and sings in a comfortingly matter-of-fact way.
Something about the interplay between thudding and precise guitar lines on the opening track “Again” evokes a Cate Le Bon-esque approach to arrangement and production. Echoes of this baroque indie rock influence can be heard in backing vocals and rhythmic sensibilities throughout the album, adding careful complexity to Knock Knee. It’s an exciting debut album in which Laine showcases the breadth and depth of her influences and songwriting abilities.
Laine’s voice is both melancholy and self-assured on “Dumpster Fire,” the second track on the album: “This time there is no other, and I’m a terrible liar / This time I’m my own lover and there’s no chance of a dumpster fire.” On “Full Colour,” Laine and producer Elijah Browning create a soft, RnB-tinged tableau with a bossa groove and romantic strings blooming around Laine’s cool, easy vocals. The song unfolds like an internal monologue that is full of questions. “Will I feel in full colour? / Only seeing in black and white.” Ultimately, it lands on a self-affirming note: “I’m gonna be on time / gonna get it right.”
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