Katie Von Schleicher – Glad To Be Here

“‘Glad To Be Here’ is where I find myself right now”, Katie Von Schleicher says about her latest track. It’s certainly a sunnier title than her previous full-length efforts, 2015’s mini-album ‘Bleaksploitation’ and last year’s debut proper, ‘Shitty Hits’; it at least suggests a potentially rosier outlook from the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter.

‘Glad To Be Here’ suggests a natural progression from ‘Shitty Hits’. It’s still got those charmingly ramshackle elements that often swirl around her work (the slightly wonky burst of piano being a case in point) but also strident, heavier and scuzzier guitar elements that bookend the track and a flurry of textured, tumbling and shape-shifting melodies.

Helping to propel it all forward is Katie’s vocals, which continue to soar whether expressing euphoria or melancholia. “Didn’t it feel wrong?” she asks, repeating the words “didn’t it” over and over as if searching for a definitive, concrete answer. “If there’s nothing wrong, I’m glad to be here”, she repeats at the song’s climax, suggesting a settled nature, even if it’s a temporary state of being. There may be a slight tinge of uncertainty underlying here, but you can always be glad to have Katie around.