Katie Malco - “Creatures (Alternate Version)”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…Middle Kids, Phoebe Bridgers, Silversun Pickups

Since Katie Malco’s scheduled SXSW debut in 2020 (spoiler alert: that didn’t happen), the English artist released her debut full-length Failures, a record she continues to mine with alternate versions of tracks released from winter to summer 2022. Part melancholy rock and part full indie rock, Malco finds power in mid-tempo, emotive songwriting, less hook-based while still being catchy and memorable. It’s a mature record from note one, dipping into dense alt-rock, just an inch short of shoegaze, in a way that deepens that pensive core. Neither over- or understated, she hits consistent sweet spots on Failures that are equally accessible and moving. (Kevin McStravick)

2020 Review: Six years after her last EP Tearing Ventricles, Katie Malco returned in 2019 with “Creatures”, a full-throated grunge rock/pop track to highlight Malco’s melancholy songwriting. Power pop and breezy rock modes also inform “Creatures”, a catchy track even when surrounded with reverb and crunch. It opens up as well in its last post-chorus, pulling back the guitars for a minute to reveal the vulnerability at the core of Malco’s sound. It’s a far leap from the UK artist’s early material - Tearing Ventricles is mostly spare piano ballads that are also a good fit for Malco and a place to highlight her sweeping, natural vocal tone.