In the first place, Katherine Priddy comes a long way, three albums in five years (her first release, The Eternal Rocks Beneath, dates back to June 2021, while The Pendulum Swing is from 2024, but for her absolute debut, with the EP Wolf, we have to go back to 2018).
The new album of Katherine Priddy: These Frightening Machines
With her new album These Frightening Machines, she marks the pivotal transition from her twenties to her thirties. Yet, listening to that little gem Hurricane, the fourth track on a ten-song set list, one would say she’s far more mature. As a matter of fact, it’s truly a blessing to hear such beautiful songs that you’re tempted to hit play again and stop right there, thus missing out on everything (good) that follows!
Steeped in dreamy atmospheres
But her seductive, gently imperfect voice—never too saccharine—and the delicate orchestral textures that highlight the contributions of the woodwinds and percussion, with guitars and keyboards punctuating a track that, despite its title, is steeped in dreamy atmospheres. Is this the result of the experience past months working with Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, and Loudon Wainwright III?
Working with Rob Ellis
Certainly, the influence of producer Rob Ellis—who has worked with such distinguished artists as P.J. Harvey, Anna Calvi, and Bat for Lashes—cannot be overlooked. And the contributions of Mackenzie Ruth Scott/ Torres on Madeleine —a song played with the lightest of touches and permeated by a melancholic violin that embraces the vast expanses of the American landscape, a small nocturnal gem that reconciles us with a highly uncertain present—and by multi-instrumentalist Ben Christophers, who provides the album’s alt-folk element (A Matter of Time).
The defining track of These Frightening Machines
The album’s defining track is the opening single Matches, a powerful reflection on the meaning of the word “witch” and on how deeply discrimination and prejudice against women still run today. With These Frightening Machines, Katherine lays bare her experience as a young woman in her early thirties, her relationship with the world around her, her insecurities, and her relationship with her changing body. It’s an intimacy she shares with the listener. Indeed, I have a daughter who’s just a little younger, and facing this phase of life together is challenging, but also extremely motivating!
Final words for These Frightening Machines
In addition to the songs already mentioned, take note of the deep strings in Table Four, the powerful I’m Always Willing—where she duets with Richard Walters (a 2023 Grammy nomination)—the most musically complex track of the ten, and the adult pop of Sirius. But These Frightening Machines is an album that, in terms of quality, delivers nothing but satisfaction. All the accolades you’ve received so far are well-deserved, dear Miss Priddy—don’t stop here, please!
Track list
1. Matches
2. Frightening Machines
3. Sirius
4. Hurricane
5. Madeleine
6. Atlas
7. A Matter of Time
8. Table Four
9. I’m Always Willing
10. Could This Be Enough?