4 to Watch: Kate York

Hometown: Nashville, Tenn.
Fun fact: York has been in the studio with Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket), whose album will be released early this year.
Why she’s worth watching: Paste liked York enough to put out her debut EP. And Kathleen Edwards recently invited her to open on an upcoming tour.
For fans of: Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin, Fleetwood Mac

Kate York has always had an affinity for sadness. “I remember holding the album and just staring at it,” she says of the Chariots Of Fire soundtrack she was given as a child. Her favorite song was the album’s dreariest, “Five Circles.” “It sounded so eerie to me back then,” she says. “Even when I was five, I was drawn to sad songs.”

It’s no surprise that York went on to record an album called Sadlylove, a title borrowed from a song by friend and fellow musician Matthew Ryan. “It just seemed to fit the mood of my record,” she says. “I don’t set out to make music that’s going to make people cry, but I like songs about pining and unrequited love. It’s universal.”

Despite obvious themes of heartbreak and isolation, a distinct sense of optimism runs through Sadlylove’s melodies, keeping the songs from veering into self-pity or melodrama. York’s understated lyrics, bell-clear voice and captivating yet simple arrangements feel fit to drown out the sound of the windshield wipers on a rainy car ride, to soundtrack a spell of post-breakup despair, or to make your good mood even better.

Produced by Music City-underground VIP Neilson Hubbard, who discovered York three years ago during a writer’s night at Nashville club 12th and Porter, Sadlylove features guest performances by Mindy Smith, Mack Starks and Matthew Ryan. After several years of recording and touring, opening for artists such as Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Mindy Smith and Garrison Starr, York will release the record independently in May. She says she owes a lot to her temporary bouts of depression. “I don’t usually write if I’m happy,” she jokes. “If I’m happy, that means I’m out having fun, not sitting around writing songs.”