What a Relief

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.^[2]

The album's cover art is a photograph taken by Catherine Opie at Gavin's home.^[3]

The album was released on October 25, 2024.^[4]

Prior to the album's release, she released three singles "Aftertaste", "Casual Drug Use" and "Inconsolable".^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]}

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, What a Relief received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.^[1]

Marissa Lorusso of Pitchfork stated, "While it doesn't reach the soaring highs of Gavin's work with MUNA, What a Relief offers introspective self-portraits whose sound calls back to Gavin's youth and stories rich with the kind of empathy that's only gained over time."^[15] Robin Murray of Clash called the album "a valuable insight into a profound creative talent, and a gorgeous listen."^[11] Rachel Kelly of Exclaim! commented that "The album highlights Gavin's distinctive vocals and lyricism in a contemporary update of Lilith-core folk music, but the entire project feels intimidated by its own potential."^[12]

All tracks written by Katie Gavin, except "Inconsolable" (Gavin, Eric Radloff).

Note: "Keep Walking" contains an uncredited interpolation, not originally listed in the album's liner notes, of a still uncertain composition by Sinéad O'Connor, whose composition credit was formalized after the album's release, but no further information was provided by Gavin or O'Connor's estate.^[23][24]

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, 8)
• Will Maclellan – programming (tracks 4, 5, 7, 10, 12)
• Mitski Miyawaki – vocals (track 5)
• Sean Watkins – guitar, background vocals, mandolin (track 8)
• 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