This rad duo’s music will make your Monday so much better
Stasia “Stas” Irons and Catherine “Cat” Harris-White are THEESatisfaction—and their music is guaranteed to fulfill any cravings you have for funky, moody R&B. With their second album, Earthee, dropping later this month and so far getting nothing but praise, it’s easy to see these ladies are more than just a promising up-and-coming act. Now, they’re confirmed to be joining Sleater-Kinney on an upcoming tour; so it’s safe to say 2015 is revving up to be a big year for this Pacific Northwest duo.
But there are literally hundreds of thousands of talented artists out there, so what makes these two women so special?
Their music is seriously one-of-a-kind.
I’ve seen people dub THEESatisfaction’s music as alt-R&B, neo-soul, and hip-hop; but really, it isn’t any one of those things. Threads of each of those genres are weaved through their music, but it isn’t one definitive style. See that metaphorical box? Don’t try and put them in it. Any band that’s breaking down musical barriers and doing it with ease is a band worth listening to—on repeat.
Their music is pure positivity.
“QueenS,” the delicious single that first got people buzzing in 2012, is the ultimate feel-good jam. Over a tasty bass line, Cat and Stas croon, “Whatever you do, don’t funk with my groove.” You know what you should do instead? Just be real, “turn your swag off” and get ready to dance because you’re going to “sweat through your cardigan.” Come on now, any women promoting owning your identity and dancing all night long are girl crush material.
But they aren’t afraid to be dark too.
While songs like “QueenS” get you ready to shake your hips, these women also aren’t afraid to spit truth. Their first single off EarthEE, “Recognition,” has a far darker tone and texture as they call out the lack of diversity within art and pop culture. It’s a message that seems particularly important as they continue to bring visibility to queer women of color. And with that. . .
They are real about race and gender.
These are queer, black women, and they own it. They’ve never hidden behind ambiguity and they’ve never tried to dodge questions about who they are, even if it makes other people uncomfortable. That ownership of self is something to respect. As Cat told Colorlines, “I’m proud of my lineage, I’m proud of my people — whatever aspect they come in. . . Having the opportunity to be [an] openly queer women and being able to travel the world is really powerful to me.”
But at the end of the day, they are all about love.
These girls don’t just create music together, they jam in all aspects of their lives. Partners through it all, Stas recalls going to open mics where Cat would sing. She told The Guardian, “I would go to the open mic [nights] and close my eyes and zone out whenever she sang. I finally had the courage to speak to her. . . it took a while.” Falling in love with your S.O.’s voice is something that I thought only happened in Shakespearean sonnets. Swoon.
