Texas-born Katy Kirby has a talent for creating songs that start quietly — so tenderly that the listener almost feels like they’re eavesdropping on a personal conversation — then build with intricate arrangements before returning to that intimacy. It’s that sort of dynamism, paired with Kirby’s clear voice and distinctive lyrical imagery, that really shine in her Tiny Desk performance.
Kirby begins with “Juniper,” a swinging hit from her debut album, Cool Dry Place, followed by “Fences,” off her latest album, Blue Raspberry. On “Cubic Zirconia,” after an instrumental break led by Logan Chung’s electric guitar riffs, the band fades as Kirby sings to “the prettiest mermaid in the souvenir shop,” describing a “face framed by hoodie like an oyster in a shell.” Kirby then plays a stripped back version of the usually roaring “Table” before ending with the arresting “Portals,” a song Kirby told us tends to make her girlfriend tear up.
Also, you may notice that the “woohoo!” sounds from the audience sound a bit higher pitched than usual. That’s because Kirby was playing to an audience of young musicians attending the Girls Rock! DC day camp, hosted at NPR headquarters the day of this recording. We're glad Kirby could show them what it's like to rock out at the Tiny Desk.
SET LIST
- “Juniper”
- “Fences”
- “Cubic Zirconia”
- “Table”
- “Portals”
MUSICIANS
- Katy Kirby: vocals, electric guitar
- Austin Arnold: drums
- Margaux Bouchegnies: electric bass
- Logan Chung: guitar, keys
- Lane Rodges: piano
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Elle Mannion
- Director/Editor: Kara Frame
- Audio Technical Director: Hannah Gluvna
- Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Mitra I. Arthur
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Sofia Seidel
- Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills, Maia Stern
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2024 NPR
