Track-by-Track: Katie Phelan Cuts Through Her EP ‘Blues and Greens’

The songwriting on Katie Phelan’s debut EP, Blues and Greens, reflects a lot of the current reality in which she finds herself. Coming on June 11th via 7476, the record is intended for all of the kind hearts and sensitive souls out there, preparing to take on new challenges and uncertain paths. A real storyteller’s kind of album, this is Phelan embracing change, dealing with the anxiety inherent in new experiences, but soldiering on under the assumed promise that everything is going to be ok. In many respects, Blues and Greens is about her own life, but it’s also dedicated to everyone who’s similarly anxious about what’s to come. It’s not just about the fear of what’s to come, though. It’s also a tribute to what’s being left behind. Phelan grew up by the ocean, and in moving away, she realized how much she would miss that environment.

Much of Blues and Greens was written by Phelan in her childhood bedroom. It was then recorded in a garden studio in Somerset, Ireland, marking a new experience. Previously, Phelan had never written or recorded anywhere except in her own home. This represented another exciting, but anxious change for her. However, it was instrumental in her artistic evolution. It enabled her to work with different instruments and equipment. It also provided an opportunity for her to create a more well-rounded listening experience. In all facets of life, it’s about embracing the new while clinging to the essence of where you came from.

Phelan joins us today for an exclusive Track-by-Track rundown of Blues and Greens. She shares with us the individual ideas that guided the writing of each song.

1. “nothing stays the same”

“This song is about moving on/reflecting on childhood and what you’ve always known. I wrote it in my childhood bedroom on the floor, where I have written a lot of my songs, in anticipation of moving away from home for the first time. It is about missing the little mundane things (like the sounds of family pottering around the house) and these simple things being more important than you realized.

“I got my brother Peter to play piano on the bridge. This is one of the sounds I’m used to hearing around the house, and one of the things I really miss is him being in the room across from me whenever I want to chat or ask something.

“It’s about being scared of change but grateful to have experienced something you’ll miss so much.”

2. “A Bad Thing”

“I wrote this one after a bad day. I realized I had actually said sorry to someone about how I looked and how ridiculous that is, and that I wanted to try and be nicer and more patient with myself. It’s about trying to do things for myself, and placing less value on how I am perceived and these pressures.”

Katie Phelan ‘Blues and Greens’ album artwork

3. “So Much At Once”

“This song is about being an overthinker and feeling everything in huge extremes. I wrote this about how nothing ever seems to feel small or casual to me.”

4. “bug”

“This song is for anyone else who also feels like an overthinker. I put myself into the perspective of a bug for this one to try and make everything feel a bit less overwhelming and dramatic when I was feeling stressed one day. Bugs can have bad days, too! Some of the lyrics are a little bit silly and dramatic, they poke fun at how dramatic things can feel for me sometimes. It’s a fun one to sing.”

5. “Big Feelings”

“This song is about how I have always been a sensitive person and experienced big emotions since childhood. It is almost like an embrace of that, a letter to little me that it’s alright. A lot of the songs on the EP are about accepting that this is who I am. I feel everything in big waves and embracing that that’s ok!”

6. “Blues & Greens”

“This track is about moving away from the sea/something that has been present your whole life. Before I moved, I didn’t realize how much I would miss being by the sea or how connected I felt to it, again. This is about leaving behind what you’ve always known and realizing how big of a part of you it is.

“I like to think of this song as a hug that things will work themselves out – the outro, especially, to me always feels cathartic like an embrace of change. It is an assurance that through all the change and the big feelings, it’ll be ok.”