A Chat with Katie Dauson (28.07.25)
Hot on the heels of her critically-acclaimed sixth studio album Pure Katie, Canadian singer-songwriter Katie Dauson returns with a bold and buoyant new single, ‘That Volcano’, a rock-driven, surf-tinged, yacht rock anthem that’s equal parts playful and powerful. We chat with Katie Dauson about the new single and more below.
OSR: ‘That Volcano’ started as a song about a parrot. Can you take us through that creative transformation from playful concept to personal revelation?
Dauson: I was listening to Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hits album on vinyl when I looked at the album art and saw two parrots on the cover. I always have the album art displayed in a light-up “Now Spinning” sign near the turntable, so I can look at the art while the album is playing. While I was listening, I was looking at the album art, and thought to myself, “I would really like to write a song about a parrot.” I also wanted a second song in a surfy, yacht-like style, because I already had another single (also available now) called ‘Four Winds’, and I wanted to make a 7-inch vinyl record (I like to do that with my singles). Once the album was over, I put it away, and some words suddenly started popping into my head. All of a sudden, I had the full chorus in my head, and I knew I had to write it down. When I initially wrote it, I just thought I wrote about one of the parrots on the album art, but things are never what they seem. Once I knew that I was going to record the song and started rehearsing for it at home, it hit me what I actually wrote about.
OSR: You mentioned realising during rehearsal that the song was actually about yourself. What was that moment like emotionally?
Dauson: I had run through the song a couple of times on my own already, a little unenthusiastically, because I was feeling a bit down that day, even though I was looking forward to recording. The third time through the song, when I sang the bridge, the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, but in a good way. Once I realised what I had actually written, a big smile appeared on my face and I sang with a lot more enthusiasm. Throughout my life, I’ve had a lot of naysayers telling me I’m not good enough for anything, and upon singing the bridge of ‘That Volcano’, I felt empowered, like I was telling all of those individuals to go shove it.
OSR: There’s a strong yacht rock and surf influence in this track. What drew you to that sound, and how does it reflect where you are artistically right now?
Dauson: I love to collect and listen to vinyl records. I probably have around a thousand of them or more right now. I love the sound of music on vinyl; it’s the best way to listen to music, other than hearing it live. I hadn’t ever really listened to all of Jimmy Buffett’s music for some reason (which to me is a crime), and I had a lot of trouble finding his albums, new or used. They hadn’t rereleased his older albums yet, so all I could get from his old stuff at that time was his Greatest Hits album. I fell in love with his music instantly. It can be funny, in-depth, and very touching. I’m glad they have rereleased his older albums on vinyl, and now I have them. Whenever I hear something new, I usually want to try to write a song in a similar style if I like that style. But I don’t like to be put in a box or category of just one style of music. For example, I’m working on my seventh studio album right now, and it’s very eclectic and completely different from anything I’ve done in the past. Stay tuned for that.
OSR: Jimmy Buffett’s album art sparked the initial idea. How often do visual inspirations feed into your songwriting?
Dauson: All the time. It can be anything I see or experience; once I get an idea, I have to write it down or I’ll lose it.
OSR: The production on ‘That Volcano’ is rich yet intimate. What was it like working with James Nickle again on this track?
Dauson: Working with James is amazing as always. He’s like family to me. He’s extremely supportive, funny, creative, and always puts me at ease in the studio. He is also always thinking about my best interests and not his. I love going into the studio to record with James. He’s so much fun to work with.
OSR: You’ve been praised for your lyrical honesty. Was there any vulnerability in releasing a song that turned out to be so autobiographical?
Dauson: No, not at all. I’ve done it before with many songs, particularly my early music. Some of those include the singles ‘Not Good Enough Blues’ and ‘Mean Metal Salad’, and some songs from my first album, Past the Sea, such as ‘As Time Goes By’.
OSR: Let’s talk about your guitar, the 2002 left-handed Martin OM-18V. Does that instrument carry any emotional or creative significance for you?
Dauson: I have quite a large guitar collection. I purchased that guitar at the Twelfth Fret Guitar Shop in Toronto. They don’t get a lot of left-handed guitars in as trade-ins or new stock, but they got 2 left-handed Martin guitars traded in at the same time by the same individual, including the 2002 OM-18V. I went down there to purchase one of the two, but they both sounded so good and different from each other that I couldn’t decide and bought both of them. It’s very rare that I would get the opportunity to choose between guitars at a regular store because everything is right-handed. I would have to go to a speciality left-handed guitar store for that (those do exist, and that’s where I get most of my guitars).
I noticed on the cover of Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hits album that he was playing a Martin guitar, and I wanted a Martin sound for the rhythm on both ‘That Volcano’ and ‘Four Winds’, since they had similar influences. I experimented with different guitars to get the right sound, and that particular guitar was the first one my mind jumped to try for the recordings. It ended up being perfect in my opinion, and James liked the sound so much that he made the volume for my guitar louder in the final mix. There is no real significance emotionally for this guitar, other than that they don’t make this model anymore, so I can’t get a new one. Creatively, I feel like this guitar is perfect for that yacht rock sound.
OSR: The line between playful and powerful is finely balanced in this track. How intentional was that dynamic?
Dauson: It was completely unintentional. I just write what comes to me from my heart.
OSR: The animated music video by Joren Cull is so distinctive. What was the collaboration process like between you two?
Dauson: Joren initially reached out to me last year because he loves my music. I promised him if a song came up that I felt would be a good fit for an animated music video, I would let him know. That’s what happened for ‘Freaky Vampire Blues’, our first collaboration. He captured the essence of that song perfectly, and even through in a couple of Easter Eggs (see if you can spot the vampire crossing Abbey Road, and the piece of Fool’s Gold in that video). I felt that he did a magnificent job on ‘Freaky Vampire Blues’, and he was really easy-going and fun to collaborate with. I was hoping another song would come along so I could work with him again. And that’s exactly what happened with ‘That Volcano’. I felt it would work really well with an animated music video in his style to go along with the music. Joren asked me what I wanted for the video, and I let him know. Then, he went above and beyond and created a colourful masterpiece. I love the work Joren does as much as he enjoys my music. I hope another song comes along soon that would lend itself again to his animation style. He is great to work with.
OSR: In a sentence, what does ‘That Volcano’ represent to you now?
Dauson: For my fans and listeners out there, I hope this song inspires you never to give up.
Many thanks to Katie Dauson for speaking with us. Find out more about Katie Dauson on her Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and her official website.
