Mari Kattman Talks New Solo Album, New Single And More

 Electronic musician and vocalist Mari Kattman is known for her work as part of the electronic duo Helix as well as a solo artist in her own right. ‘Sharp Shooter’ is the second single to be teased from a new album entitled ‘Year Of The Katt’, her debut full-length solo release for Metropolis Records (and third overall), which is scheduled for release on Friday 20th June 2025. She kindly chatted to us all about her new music and more: 

What is your earliest musical memory?

My dad was way into music and I think one of my first memories is my dad freaking out when I pushed my finger many times into the dust cap and foam covering on his expensive speakers! I think I was intrigued enough to want to feel the vibrations with my hands.

When did you begin songwriting?

My songwriting journey began many many years ago at the tender age of 15. However, my songwriting abilities and duties have changed and become more involved over the years. I started out as simply a vocalist and lyricist to now writing, producing, recording all on my own.

You will release your new album ‘Year of The Katt’ on 20th June 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

My solo song writing journey began 5 years ago. The Mari Kattman project was started to prove to myself that I could do it all alone, but this was my first time writing an entire album alone. It was intimidating for sure! Doing 10 songs at once is a lot harder than doing 2 or 3 at a time. I wanted to approach the album being in full awareness of what has worked for me in the past and align the material with what resonated with my audience best.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

The entire album was recorded and produced by me in my studio, in my basement, at home if you can believe it!

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album’s recording sessions?

I do all of my recording alone, so I suppose most of the jokes fall flat. If the walls could speak however…or the cats.

Who were the musicians who performed on the album with you?

Just me. I work entirely alone and I love that about the Mari Kattman project. I work as a collaborative artist with my husband Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) on a project called Helix, but this album is all me alone and it feels really freeing to try a project where I am in charge of all the elements.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

Since my album is electronic, I like to keep all of the elements to the electronic realm. It’s a simple setup, midi keyboard and a bunch of awesome soft synths to assist me. I love Omnisphere, Massive, Spire and Dune to name a few. My microphone is a Blue Spark. I’m a very minimalist musician and I prefer things that way. I’m not snobby about tools, as long as it sounds good it IS good.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest (Ascending)

Angriest (Typical Girl)

Most Reflective (Pain)

You have also released the new single ‘Sharp Shooter’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Sharp shooter sounds like a simple tune, but it’s got a really deep meaning that explores that idea of life with purpose and without coincidence. It explores the idea of pain with purpose being the push to grow.

Was it a difficult album to write?

The album was difficult to write for sure. I feel like when you are compiling 10 songs at once you have to be mindful of each one and how they interact with one another. I also had a lot of learning curves regarding production quality. I wanted each song to have similar production quality and that can be hard to gauge when you are new to production and mixing. There were often questions in my mind to which of my songs should make it on the album. There were more that I had worked on which I decided weren’t good enough to make it onto the final product. So many tough choices when you work alone and can’t bounce these dilemmas off of a band member.

Who designed the album artwork?

I designed the album artwork and my friend Sam Pfannkuche of Pancake Design was responsible for the album layout.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

My hometown is Franklin, Massachusetts, USA and the way I would describe it is Safe, Friendly, Quiet, Boring and Boring 🙂

How do you look after your voice?

I try to make sure my voice is always moist and on stage that can be an easy thing to do because its normally very hot on stage! I also don’t talk much before I perform and hope the venue will have a quiet space to wait in before I go on to perform. I like to hum and warm up my voice before I perform.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

We do actually! Assemblage 23 and Mari Kattman will be doing a week long tour in the UK this fall. We are not yet able to release the dates and locations but you can be sure it is going to happen, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements!

Who is in your touring band and what do they play?

My live band is usually Assemblage 23 and I am incredibly happy for that. So I usually have both Tom and Paul playing keys on stage with me. I am lucky to have them as we all really love supporting each other. I would love to add a drummer but that opportunity hasn’t yet presented itself.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I want the audience to hear the quality of my work and have a good time enjoying the material I wrote. I don’t use autotune or melodyne on any of my tracks and I wish also to present my voice in the most genuine way possible. The “me” you hear on the album, is the true me!

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I would love to have effects pedals for my voice but feedbacking often becomes an issue so I tend to leave my voice up to the front of house to deal with. I try and remain pretty minimalistic and always bring my own mic. Right now its a sE Electronics V7.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

I honestly love period dramas or as my husband says “my old lady shows” 😉 I think it would be cool to write a score for a masterpiece theater production or something nerdy like that.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

My musical influences really vary, I grew up listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey and bands in which the female players were strong and passionate. I always tell my fans to go back and listen to older music in a time when female musicians weren’t judged firstly on their appearance. I think there is so much to be missed when the art was put first and the shallow stuff came second.

What makes Mari Kattman happy and what makes you unhappy?

Being creative, honest and free makes me happy. Oh and candy makes me happy too 😉 Just be yourself and let no one stop you from embodying the most genuine YOU that you can be. That is the purpose of life, after all. I’ll leave the unhappy stuff unsaid for now.