While many artists sugar coat how terrifying love can be, one artist in particular never shies away from depicting it as tumultuous, painful and sometimes, even more frightening than death itself. With an angelic voice and heart-wrenchingly beautiful lyrics, singer-songwriter Kevin Atwater released his latest album, “Achilles” on March 7.
The folk artist Atwater began his music career in 2020 when he released his first single, “Freckles.” Since then, he’s also come out with his 2022 EP, “retriever,” and 2023 album, “Downers Grove.” His work has always been unapologetically melancholic and realistic, but “Achilles” has proved he is a source of authenticity not only for the queer community, but for those who long to love others and have lost themselves in the process.
Turning niche life experiences into relatable hardship, every song on “Achilles” is like reading a book from start to finish. His characters show who they are in small, unique ways such as leaving “origami roses” at a lover’s door.
Coral Johnston, an 18-year-old Texas resident and musician, discovered Atwater’s music on TIkTok two years ago from his 2022 single, “my blood is your blood.” She described his methods of lyrical storytelling in his songs as breathtaking because of their “gut wrenching backstories.”
Yet Atwater’s heartfelt narratives aren’t entirely dependent on his song’s lyrics. Typically, Atwater plays his guitar in alternate tunings, which initially caught Johnston’s attention, she said.
“What Kevin does a lot is he puts his guitar into different tunings other than standard [ones],” she said. “A lot of folk artists do it, like Adrianne Lenker, where instead of using the guitar to play chords, you use it more melodically and purposefully.”
Many of Atwater’s songs on “Achilles” are complex because of how he uses figurative language to represent the poetic nature of his romantic experiences. According to Johnston, this makes for an album she can’t passively listen to, as the lyrics demand her full attention. The album’s expressive storytelling mixed with Atwater’s unique voice brings the listener through every single wave of emotion one can possibly feel while going through something as challenging as heartbreak.
Songs like “Huntley” off of “Achilles” showed Atwater’s true talent of releasing a song stripped down to its barest elements. With just his voice and guitar, Atwater gave the world an extremely personal glimpse into the people he has loved.
His song “Call of Duty” touched on the impact of religious trauma on queer relationships. With descriptive imagery, Atwater tells a story of a man he will never forget. For every time they kissed, his partner had to place his hand on the Bible out of fear.
After listening to “family party” for the first time, Lauren Corbeil and Magdalena Blatchley, two 18-year-old Tampa residents, found the song to be relaxing despite its melancholic tone. They initially resonated with the song’s nostalgic nature, yet after discovering the complex concept the simplistic lyrics represent, both girls felt seen in a way either of them hadn’t before.
“The music itself paints a picture, but the words he’s saying really aid in that,” Blatchley said.
On Instagram, Atwater himself said this song was dedicated to how he felt “unrelated to the people [he’s] related to”. His comments were filled with hundreds of his fans who called his work “way too accurate” and “simply magic.” His songs find words to describe the seemingly indescribable feeling some experience when they try to heal from trauma caused by their own loved ones.
Albums like “Achilles” are the reason so many people deeply connect to music. By fearlessly gifting the world with stories full of yearning for fulfilling love, Atwater carved out a place for the queer community to speak freely about their struggles. Listeners can find getting “into their feelings” is incredibly important not only for themselves, but for the people they intend to love.
“I think that [album] can definitely relate to a lot of people that have similar situations [to Atwater],” Corbeil said. “Everyone likes to listen to songs that they can relate to.”
Atwater’s emotionally nuanced music points towards the power of introspection in relationships, and for the beginning of his career, he has already made an impact that will span generations to come.
Contact Autumn Johnstone at ajohnstone@alligator.org. Follow them on X @AutumnJ922
Autumn Johnstone is a freshman journalism/art student and a music reporter for The Avenue. When they're not writing, you can find them enjoying a nice cup of coffee at a nearby café or thrifting for vinyls. You may find their other published work in Strike magazine, Atrium magazine and Musée magazine in New York City.
