Kaylee Elizabeth today released her soaring, dynamic debut single “Passing Through,” produced by Andy D. Park (Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro The Lion, Deep Sea Diver). She has also shared the song’s stirring video, directed by May Xiong. The single highlights the haunting power of Kaylee Elizabeth’s voice: soft but sure, warm but direct—seasoned by time spent in Ireland studying sean-nós, the traditional Irish singing, and years touring with her brother as duo The Native Sibling.
“‘Passing Through’ was inspired by looking out a car window on a long drive—the glimpses of the physical structures that are being built, lived in, or are slowly falling down, and wondering who the people are that have come and gone in those places. It is realizing that our time here is a breath, but that there are many things which can be passed down from generation to generation that are beautiful,” explains Kaylee Elizabeth. “This video was filmed in Washington with my dear friend Celia at her farm. Having lost my mother at the age of 17, there have been many moments since where I have desired motherly wisdom. I’m beyond grateful for a tribe of women that I call my ‘surrogate mothers,’ and Celia is one of them. I wanted there to be a generational representation in the video, and I wanted it to be personal and display an actual meaningful relationship that spoke to the theme of the song.”
Based in Seattle, WA, Kaylee Elizabeth is making a debut on her own with a new name, a new sound, a new process, and even a new instrument. Soon after recording The Native Sibling’s last album, 2019’s Hammer is Heart, Kaylee Elizabeth began to work on songs that she knew early on were for a different project. She took advantage of this new beginning by intentionally approaching each element of the process from a different angle, starting with transitioning back to playing guitar instead of keys.
After writing songs on her own for the first time—a process that challenged her to be self-disciplined and decisive—she teamed up with Park. “Andy had a big influence on getting great performances by creating a lot of space for me to navigate my thoughts and ideas comfortably,” explains Kaylee Elizabeth. She was able to record in her own city, another first, and enlisted musicians with whom she had never officially collaborated to back her in the studio, including Jessica Dobson (Deep Sea Diver, Beck, The Shins), Sean Lane (Pedro the Lion, Perfume Genius), and Michael Porter, all of whom appear on “Passing Through.”
“Passing Through” will be featured on Kaylee Elizabeth’s forthcoming debut album, due out next year.
