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Kaitlin Cassady’s debut album Home Away from Home is a deeply personal yet relatable exploration of life’s most poignant moments—love, heartbreak, and the quiet battles with mental health. With its fusion of indie folk, jazz, and subtle rock elements, the album invites listeners into a space of raw introspection, showcasing Cassady’s ability to blend vulnerability with musical sophistication. Kaitlin’s music strikes a powerful chord with anyone who’s ever felt the weight of change. We caught up with her to dive into the inspiration behind Home Away from Home, her creative journey, and what’s to come in her evolving sound.
Kaitlin Cassady, welcome to VENTS! Your debut album, Home Away from Home, fuses deeply personal themes with universal appeal. Can you share more about how you transformed your personal experiences into songs that resonate with a broader audience?
Honestly, this transformation was not intentional. When I first moved to Michigan in 2014, I was very lonely, and it took me some time to find close friends. When I finally found people to play music with, I started taking over songwriting duties since nobody else in the band was interested. And this collection of songs (from Home Away From Home) about love, heartbreak, grief, and mental illness kind of just “poured out” as a result. I wasn’t planning to create an album or even record any of these songs at the time; it was a very unintentional and organic process of creating this album. But, of course, being human, it’s no surprise that I have feelings and experiences that might resonate with people on a more universal level.
What was it like collaborating with notable musicians like Thad Polk and Julia Floberg on the LP?
It was great! Thad was my mentor in graduate school. It was a couple years before we realized we had a lot in common musically. One night, he came to one of my shows and loved it – he asked if I ever wanted to jam and once we started playing my original songs together, I immediately added him to join my band at the time as Lead Guitar Player. Thad is one of the most talented guitarists I’ve ever met. He has a unique finger-picking style of playing that was perfect for my songs. After I moved to California and started to record the album, I asked Thad to remotely record his guitar part on Happy For You.
The story is a bit different with Julia. We had gone to middle school together back in the day, but lost touch over the years. But I still followed her on Instagram and saw that she was still playing cello with many different amazing artists. Desperately wanting some strings for the album, I emailed Julia one day out of the blue and asked if she would be interested in remotely recording some cello parts for a couple of my songs. And to my pleasant surprise, she said yes! She sent back the most amazing cello harmonies that I ended up using for two songs on the album.
How do you balance your eclectic range of influences and stylistic leanings to create a sound that stays true to your unique sonic signature?
Like most musicians, I have countless influences, ranging from Carole King to The Smashing Pumpkins to Lauryn Hill to Miles Davis. I think these artists just naturally influence my music in a way that I don’t really have to consciously think about. As an ever-evolving artist, I think my sound (and approach to making music) is constantly changing, at least I hope it is. However, given my vocal range, lyrical approach, and instrumental abilities, I think I have a unique sound and style that captures my essence as an artist at this point – such as my soft, emotive vocals, my brutally honest and introspective lyrics, and my folksy guitar and jazzy piano playing.
With over 15,000 streams already for your debut single, how do you feel about the reception of your music so far, and has this influenced your approach to music moving forward?
Overall, I feel very grateful that people are listening to my music, even if it’s not as many people as I would hope to reach. It feels very validating and comforting when people tell me that a certain song resonates with them – it makes me feel less lonely and more a part of a community. When I first started writing songs, I honestly didn’t really plan on ever releasing them or getting them “out there in the world”. I really just wrote them for me. But I must admit that now I really do hope to reach as many people as possible with my music.
Being a very sensitive person with fairly thin skin, I definitely feel more motivated to work on and create new music when I feel good about the reception of my current music. It just makes me feel good about myself and that my work actually matters. And, in contrast, when I feel like nobody is listening to my music or that nobody cares, or that I’m not good enough, that’s the ultimate demotivator. However, feelings of inadequacy, heartache, and despair often inspire my most powerful, authentic lyrics, so at least something good comes out of it.
You’ve nailed the minimalist yet impactful style. Could you describe your approach to arranging and producing your songs to achieve this effect?
This album was the first time I had ever produced anything. I’d recorded rough demos over the years with just one take of vocals and acoustic guitar using Garageband. But for this album, it was the first time that I’d really delved into it using a more sophisticated software like Logic Pro X. All the songs on this album are so delicate in their theme and story that I knew I wanted a more minimalist sound to capture and highlight that. As such, I didn’t want to overdo it with too many production effects, like synths, loops, or “fake” instruments. It was (and still is!) very important that I record all the tracks with real instruments, or at least real playing (i.e., on my electronic drum kit for drum tracks). Given that approach, I really only needed acoustic guitar, piano, vocals, bass, and drums for the most part. I’m also a huge fan of vocal harmonies (I’m heavily influenced by Brian Wilson, Fleet Foxes, and Billie Eilish in that regard), so I provided my own background vocals on this album. Given that this was my first time producing, I’ve already learned so much of what I like and what I don’t like; it’s honestly sometimes difficult for me to listen to this first album because I can hear all the mistakes and in general how amateur it sounds compared to the newer music I’m working on now. But overall, I’m very happy with the way it turned out, and I’m proud that I was able to accomplish this almost entirely by myself. I do have to give loads of credit to my dad for helping me learn how to use Logic Pro X and giving me invaluable insight on producing in general. He also completed all the mastering for this album. I’m incredibly grateful for his contributions.
Looking ahead, you’ve mentioned a sophomore LP is in the works for 2025. Can you give us a glimpse into what themes or styles you’re exploring in your upcoming music?
I’m super excited about my next album! There will be some similarities to my first album in terms of raw, reflective and honest lyrics, themes of love, heartbreak, trauma, and depression, as well as a more minimalist sound. But compared to the acoustic indie folk-rock americana sound of my first album, my second album will be more electric indie-folk, pop and jazz inspired. Overall, the songs from my first album were all written on acoustic guitar, whereas the songs from my next album were all written on piano – so the entire foundation is different. I also had different musical influences while working on this next album, which I think will help set it apart from my first album.
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