Longing and desire become cathartic, dreamy beauty in singer/songwriter Kaycie Satterfield’s bittersweet, heart-on-sleeve “Video Girl” – an intimate diary entry capturing her queer coming-of-age story, and the heavy pain that comes with bottling up your feelings.
Stream: “Video Girl” – Kaycie Satterfield
No amount of dreamy production can cover up the aching at the core of Kaycie Satterfield’s new song.
How many of us have fallen in love, accidentally or otherwise, with our best friend? It’s no small feat to ignore such big feelings, especially when all we want to do is confess them, and maybe – just maybe – discover that they’re reciprocated, in turn.
But this isn’t a sweet story about telling your best friend you have a crush on them; rather, Satterfield’s bittersweet, heart-on-sleeve “Video Girl” is an intimate diary entry capturing the heavy pain that comes with bottling everything up inside. Wistful, tender melodies and utterly enchanting vocals hit with a delicate, yet crushing force as Satterfield channels inner churn into cathartic beauty: A piece of music that dwells in emotive depths, while capturing a “universal queer coming-of-age story.”
I said Lorraine
You don’t need to worry
we are gonna get out of here
I’ll get my drivers license,
we’ll move to the city, you and me
We learned all the dances on MTV
The steps never came to me naturally
But you, you knew what to do
You could dance you could move
like a video girl…
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Video Girl,” a soothing, smoldering, and soul-stirring outpouring from a deeply loving, yet nonetheless turbulent depths. Kaycie Satterfield’s second song of the year follows this past February’s spirited indie pop anthem “Jetsam,” and finds the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and producer crafting an especially immersive environment into which she candidly spills her soul.
Slightly new sonic territory for Satterfield (who primarily plays guitar), “Video Girl” came to life through explorations and experiments with synthesizers as the artist recovered from an injury.
“The contrapuntal synth bridge was the very first thing that came to me in this batch of songs,” Satterfield tells Atwood Magazine. “It was 2021 and I was still recovering from a wrist injury that left me unable to play guitar, my primary instrument. Jonesing to create something, anything, I started to dip my toes into production. I p*rated Logic, bought a Scarlett Focusrite and plugged it all into my 2017 Macbook. I had a (Moog) Sub Phatty bass synth that I had mostly neglected the few years prior, as I was writing mostly guitar-based music, and didn’t have any understanding of production or DAW’s. I wrote that synth line, which ultimately decided the whole direction of this collection of music. I drew heavy inspiration from St. Vincent’s early records, specifically how the synths and guitar parts interplay.”
“Another hack that came about through this song is this wacky guitar tuning I used. It’s D A D F# B E, so just drop the low E string and the G string. I found that I could find shapes that were easier on my healing hand and it created all these cool sonic textures. I ended up writing like five more songs in that tuning, and continue to write almost every song in that tuning.”
Satterfield has always been an open book – just look to her 2020 debut album Your Favorite Records and 2022’s Sweet Tooth for any number of honest, unflinchingly vulnerable songs – and yet, “Video Girl” still stands out from the pack for its emotional potency. In point of fact, this song is a tragedy; Satterfield sings from a place of rosy, brooding nostalgia for what could have been, but could never be.
“The song outlines what I think is sort of somehow a universal queer coming-of-age story; that is, being in love with your best friend,” she explains. “Specifically, having an intense not-romantic homoromantic relationship with your best friend, and despite being 99.9999 percent sure, never being 100% sure it was mutual. And when it ends, it feels earth-shattering, like a breakup.”
“If there’s one message I can relay through making and putting out these songs, it’s that if you’re intimidated by the world of production, especially if you’re a non-male person, just use whatever you have and maybe spring for the little bit else you may need to get started, roll up your sleeves and start making something. Grant yourself the permission for things to not be perfect, and let the process just be a vibe. I guarantee you’ll surprise yourself.”
I said Lorraine
You don’t need to worry we are gonna be beautiful
You lived up by the lighthouse
I could see it from my window
We didn’t make the prom court or the grades
Out with the out crowd, listening to Cake with you
You knew what to do
You were lovely and cool like a
Video girl
Heartfelt and haunting, “Video Girl” is an homage to a one-sided love that never blossomed; an ode to a cherished friendship full of warmth and aching. Stream Kaycie Satterfield’s stunning new song exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more from this musical dreamweaver over the months to come as she continues her string of singles releases!
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Stream: “Video Girl” – Kaycie Satterfield
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