Carmarthenshire, UK · art-pop

Cate Le Bon

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Welsh art-pop's crooked genius — angular, elegant songs bent at fascinating angles, and a home-turf hero on any Welsh bill.

Cate Le Bon was born Cate Timothy in 1983 and grew up in Carmarthenshire, Wales. She sings in both Welsh and English. She first drew attention in 2007 supporting Gruff Rhys on his UK tour, and the following year contributed guest vocals to Neon Neon's "I Lust U". Her first release was a Welsh-language EP, put out on Peski Records in 2008.

Her early songs carried comparisons to Nico and the Velvet Underground, built on a flat, unhurried vocal delivery and angular guitar lines. Debut album Me Oh My appeared in 2009, followed by Cyrk in 2012. Later records moved into a more spacious art-pop, trading straightforward rock arrangements for woodwind, synthesiser and unexpected harmonic turns.

In 2013 Le Bon moved to Los Angeles and released her third album, Mug Museum, produced with Noah Georgeson. Crab Day followed in 2016 on Drag City, made with the same core band of Stephen Black, Huw Evans and drummer Stella Mozgawa. She has since released seven solo albums in total, and signed to Mexican Summer in 2018.

Alongside her own records, Le Bon works as a producer, making albums for Deerhunter, Wilco, John Grant, Dry Cleaning, Horsegirl, Devendra Banhart and Kurt Vile. With her former partner Tim Presley she also records as Drinks, an experimental duo whose albums include Hermits on Holiday and Hippo Lite. She also trained in furniture making, an interest she has described as feeding into her approach to songwriting.

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art-pop