If you’d only heard Kate Yeager’s 2023 viral track ‘Fat’ — or, worse, only heard of it — you might think she was a one-topic sociopolitical commentator. But while the song is a heartfelt and complex exploration of the experience of growing up fat in America, ‘Fat’ is also a gentle ballad, supported by Yeager’s clear, sweet voice. Delicate harmonies and a hooky melody and conventional pop instrumentation belie the challenging subject matter: trauma, self-hatred and survival. If not quite the album she is capable of, Before the Lights Go Out demonstrates that Yeager is a solid pop singer/songwriter, with a yearning-tinged voice and a modern sensibility.
Her sophomore EP explores Yeager-and-collaborators’ songwriting breadth. Musically it’s all pop variants: ‘Clothes Off’ is peppy and country-tinged, ‘Edit’ has a pop-rock feel that builds steadily, while ‘Meteors’ and the title track lean into folk. But even with this range, the music feels staid and familiar. (Producer Jared Anderson may be part of this: the sound has a heard-before quality that makes the music radio-friendly but less distinct than it might be.)
Still, it’s lyrically where the songwriting shines. There’s novelty, even humor, here: “The dent in the doorway/ The couch barely fit/ Scratches on the staircase/ Where the mic stand would hit/ The medicine cabinet/ I put up myself / A blow to my pride/ When it fell to ground’ (‘One Last Look’). There is tenderness: “I feel safe with my feet on the ground/ I like it better than the clouds / Maybe I’ll write that in our vows” (‘Landing in Love’). And there is so much vulnerability: “If I cut up the rough draft/ Will I get myself back/ Replace me till I hate me” (‘The Edit’). Songs like ‘The Edit’ and ‘Fat’ cover ground few top-40 tracks do; wrapped in a top-40 sound, it may be hoped the sentiments find a broader audience.
There’s clear power in Yeager’s voice, evident in glorious glimpses, but she keeps it leashed through much of Before the Lights Go Out. If this is a conscious choice, again with an eye to radio airplay, it’s understandable, but disappointing.
The EP is richly supported by several videos. ‘The Edit’ is a witty, energetic take that is by turns funny and poignant, featuring Yeager in a variety of wigs and outfits. A simple, stark video for ‘One Last Look’ spotlights Yeager in white in a white room, the only pops of color her red bandana and orange chair, allowing a focus on her soft vocal delivery.
Then there are the original and ‘[Naked Version]’ videos for ‘Fat’. While the original is a touching mini-movie (starring Macie Claire Luscombe as “Young Kate”), the ‘[Naked Version]’ is a tearjerker, interspersing Yeager singing an acoustic version of ‘Fat’ with real fan/reaction video clips. It’s a shame Yeager didn’t include this version of the track as an extra on the EP, as the stripped-down instrumentation allows her voice to shine, bell-like.
And that’s up- and downside of this album: by wrapping Yeager’s voice and resonant lyrics in conventional pop trappings, it seats the album soundly in the pop milieu, preventing it from being pigeonholed as merely activist or political and providing access to a wider audience, which she certainly deserves. But by so doing, it mutes her unique talents.
