Kate Thornbury - “Napkins”

Photo by Natalie Minguez

If you’ve been looking for the next “feminist rage rocker and jaw dropping fist pumper,” let us introduce you to Kate Thornbury and her brand new song, “Napkins.” This track runs the complete gamut when it comes to a failed relationship, from the tender moments of its inception, to the rage and turmoil that heartbreak can bring.

Despite its subject matter, “Napkins” is upbeat as all hell, beginning with a quick beat and fuzzy guitar. Fifteen seconds later, the production fully bursts to life, with the addition of some bass and those “oooooh” vocals that we keep going on and on about with every passing blog post. When Thornbury’s vocal begins, it has all the familiar comforts of Phoebe Bridgers and Stevie Nicks, but still manages to completely hold its own as it reveals the sweet moments of meeting that special someone. In this case, it appears that the history runs reasonably deep, all the way back to when “we were kids, drinking out of a hose.”

These lyrics will hit you pretty hard if you’ve ever had to face the fact that someone you’ve known for years is actually someone else entirely– when the plans that you had for the future end up being as disposable as the napkins they’re written on. We applaud Thornbury for avoiding the cliché production choice in making this some sort of folksy ballad and, instead, turning it into something that we can scream along with on our way to/from work. But to be quite honest, Thornbury had us hooked as soon as she pitched it to us:

-TM