Queer singer-songwriter Catherine Elms self-releases her debut album ‘I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It’ on 18 November 2022. Drawing on her experiences as a person with mental illness, a queer woman, and an introverted musician, Catherine creates a lush sonic world that tells stories of surviving hardship, and of taking our toughest moments and burning them for fuel to keep ourselves moving forward.
WHO IS CATHERINE ELMS?
Catherine Elms is a dark pop singer-songwriter with a soft yet powerful voice; introspective and fierce in equal measure. Drawing on the raw, heartfelt emotion of Tori Amos and the brash power of PJ Harvey, Catherine has found an evocative and cathartic style that is all her own. A self-taught pianist with heavy rock sensibilities, Catherine creates an epic and transcendent sound that explores millennial frustrations with sensitivity and quiet hope.
Catherine has released three singles from her debut album this year, described as “dark and lush” (Jammer Zine), “immersive and captivating” (Music Crowns), and “not for the faint of heart” (Sinusoidal). Each single was accompanied by a conceptual music video blending Catherine’s spirited performances with the striking visuals of Scott Chalmers (videographer for Jamie Lenman, Saint Agnes, Birdeatsbaby).
Catherine will be touring the UK in the new year to promote the album, with dates in London, Bristol, Brighton, Cardiff, Bath, Swansea, and more to be confirmed.
THE ALBUM: ‘I HAVE SEEN IT, I DO NOT FEAR IT’
After struggling with mental illness throughout her twenties, Catherine reconnected with songwriting during lockdown, and found that writing music was a cathartic means of healing and self-expression during her darkest times. She spent the next two years writing her debut studio album, ‘I Have Seen It, I Do Not Fear It’ – a body of work that chronicles a journey of self-discovery and actualization.
“This album tells my story – a journey from feeling small and trapped in a mundane life defined by fear and self-doubt, to setting yourself free and emerging anew. It’s an album about feeling that calling for something more, and breaking free from the constraints that have been placed upon you by yourself and by others. I want listeners to know that that freedom and hope exists for them too.”
This 14-track full-band album was recorded and produced at The Nest Studios Brighton, with musicians from progressive rock band Birdeatsbaby, and with drums by Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls, Violent Femmes).
Drawing on her experiences as a person with mental illness, a queer woman, and an introverted musician, Catherine creates a lush sonic world that tells stories of: longing for meaning in your life, overcoming despair and apathy, being a messy weirdo in a world that values glamour and perfection, and rejecting toxic love. While she explores dark themes, the album is ultimately a story of hope and triumph – she sings of the joy of self-actualisation, of surviving hardship, and of taking our toughest moments and burning them for fuel to keep ourselves moving forward.
“I wrote this album from some of the darkest places I’ve been, and with each track, you hear me growing, and going deeper into myself. The album represents my first steps on a journey out of the dark, a journey towards the place – and person – I’m meant to be.”
Catherine’s cinematic sound – rich vocals and haunting pianos with pop, rock, and orchestral soundscapes – elevates this personal and intimate journey into something powerful and universal.
“These songs are for those of us who’ve spent so long feeling bone-achingly sad and sick of fighting our demons – but we got up and kept fighting anyway. This album is for those of us who long for something more – for ourselves, for the world, for each other.”
