Katy Kirby is back with “Cubic Zirconia,” her first song since her 2021 debut Cool Dry Place and debut release on new label ANTI-. Listen to the track below.
Kirby burst onto the indie folk scene singing uniquely specific lyrics in an inimitable meter, and “Cubic Zirconia” keeps that sense of whimsy coming. Just as the track’s title references the synthesized diamond, the song finds Kirby dissecting all of the ways a person becomes who they are — and how, in a relationship, a partner hopefully learns to love them.
“I’ve been trying to write this song for nearly four years, but it only came into focus for me when I fell in love with a girl for the first time,” the artist explained in a statement. “It’s an attempt to say something that I don’t think I’m smart enough to articulate outside of the song — something about how much I admire when someone is unembarrassed of being explicit about the cosmetic and aesthetic choices they make for themselves.”
Kirby continued, “Why wouldn’t you love the little tricks of their trade — the way they wear makeup, the clothes and mannerisms that make them feel safest and most themselves — why wouldn’t these little tricks be the most endearing artifacts of their inner essence? If you loved someone, why would you not love those choices? It’s an honor to get that close to someone — close enough to see how they construct the image of themselves with which they move through the world as best they can (as we all do). Why wouldn’t that be enough?”
Fans can catch Kirby performing “Cubic Zirconia” at a handful of upcoming festivals, including End of the Road, Electric Picnic, and Austin City Limits.
Katy Kirby 2023 Tour Dates:
08/31 – 09/03 — Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
09/01 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
10/08 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/15 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
