What a Relief explained

What a Relief
Type:	studio
Artist:	Katie Gavin
Cover:	Katie Gavin - What a Relief.png
Studio:	Sound City (Los Angeles)
Genre:	Indie pop folk
Label:	Saddest Factory
Producer:	Tony Berg

What a Relief is the debut studio album by Katie Gavin, lead singer of indie-pop group Muna, released through Saddest Factory Records on October 25, 2024. It is a mix of indie pop and folk.

Background

Written over the course of seven years, What a Relief comprises a set of songs that Gavin always loved but which "had something in them" that she and her bandmates felt did not quite fit within the universe they were trying to cultivate with Muna. Many of them were written on acoustic guitar.^[1]

The album's cover art was photographed by Catherine Opie at Gavin's home.^[2]

The album was released on October 25, 2024.^[3]

Prior to the album's release, she released three singles "Aftertaste", "Casual Drug Use" and "Inconsolable".^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

Personnel

Musicians

• Katie Gavin – vocals (all tracks), guitar (tracks 1, 9, 12), violin (2, 4), shruti box (2), acoustic guitar (5, 10)
• Geo Botelho – bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 12)
• Gabe Noel – cello (tracks 1, 7), bass (8)
• Andrea Whitt – pedal steel (tracks 1, 9)
• Josette Maskin – tamburica (tracks 1, 10, 11), guitar (2, 4, 12), bouzouki (2), electric sitar (4), electric guitar (5), acoustic guitar (10), 12-string guitar (11)
• Sarab Singh – drums (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11), percussion (5), tabla (10)
• Benny Bock – synthesizer (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10), pump organ (3), piano (6, 9), Wurlitzer (6), guitar (7), electric birds (9)
• Mason Stoops – guitar (track 2), acoustic guitar (6)
• Nana Adjoa – bass (tracks 3, 5–7, 11)
• Eric Radloff – background vocals (track 3), harmony vocals (10)
• Sara Watkins – fiddle, background vocals (tracks 3, 7)
• Will Maclellan – programming (tracks 4, 5, 7, 10, 12)
• Mitski Miyawaki – vocals (track 5)
• Sean Watkins – guitar, background vocals, mandolin (track 7)
• Tony Berg – Mellotron (track 9), tamburica (11)
• Nate Walcott – trumpet (track 11)
• Harrison Whitford – acoustic guitar (track 11)

Technical

• Tony Berg – production
• Pat Sullivan – mastering
• Will Maclellan – mixing, engineering
• Nana Adjoa – engineering
• Amber Bain – background vocal arrangement (track 4)

Visuals

• Catherine Opie – cover photography
• Moira Barrett – quilt design
• Alexa Terfloth – still life photography, design
• Nick Scott – art direction

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"

Peak position
UK Albums Sales (OCC)^[10]	43

Notes and References

1. Web site: Maher . Dani . 2024-10-30 . Katie Gavin on self-compassion and going solo . 2024-10-31 . Harper's Bazaar Australia . en-US.
2. Web site: Q&A: Muna's Katie Gavin on comfort music, creative freedom and her debut solo record . . Anna . Furman . November 14, 2024 . November 28, 2024.
3. Web site: Strauss . Matthew . 2024-07-23 . Muna's Katie Gavin Announces Debut Solo Album, Shares Video for New Song . 2024-10-31 . . en-US.
4. Web site: Browning . Maddie . July 23, 2024 . Muna's Katie Gavin announces new solo project ahead of Newport Folk Festival performance . 13 August 2024 . WBUR.
5. Carter . Daisy . Muna's Katie Gavin announces debut solo album What a Relief . July 23, 2024 . 13 August 2024 . DIY.
6. Hudson . Alex . Muna's Katie Gavin Announces Solo Debut 'What a Relief,' Shares New Single "Aftertaste" . 13 August 2024 . Exclaim!.
7. Paul . Larisha . July 23, 2024 . Katie Gavin Bridges Gap Between Muna and Her Debut Solo LP With 'Aftertaste' . 13 August 2024 . Rolling Stone.
8. Web site: 2024-08-20 . Katie Gavin Share New Song "Casual Drug Use": Listen . 2024-10-04 . . en.
9. Web site: Katie Gavin of Muna Shares "Inconsolable" Ahead of Solo Debut . 2024-10-04 . Flood . en.
10. Web site: Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. November 2, 2024.