Gatlin Reveals “Soho House Valet”
Gatlin has shared “Soho House Valet,” the devastatingly beautiful centerpiece and final advance preview of her debut album The Eldest Daughter, out October 3 via Dualtone Records. The piano-driven ballad paints an intimate portrait of familial strife, as the Florida-born musician unravels the layered complexity of eldest-daughterhood, while also reflecting on her experiences coming out in the conservative and religious community where she was raised. On the soaring chorus she sings, “Heavy, I don’t mean to put that on you,” a refrain that embodies the push and pull between vulnerability and the burden of self-expression.
“I wrote Soho House Valet after my parents had come to visit my sister and I in Los Angeles and my father and I got in a fight right outside of the Soho House in Downtown LA,” says Gatlin. “It was one of the most vulnerable things I’ve ever written. As the eldest daughter, I’ve always felt like I had to be strong and never burden anyone…but digging through stuff I never expected to share and then sharing this song anyway started a healing process.”
Previous advance tracks from The Eldest Daughter include “Happy” and “Pipe Dream” – both candid reflections on mental health in the music industry; read more via Rolling Stone. Earlier this summer, Gatlin also shared “Jesus Christ & Country Clubs” – “a defiant and proud middle finger to those that don’t accept her for who she is” (Ones To Watch) – along with “If She Was A Boy,” which finds Gatlin reminiscing on a crush from early in her coming out journey, and was named a Song You Need To Know by Rolling Stone and one of GLAAD’s Best Songs Of The Week. Across ten tracks, The Eldest Daughter showcases Gatlin’s sharp wit and raw storytelling as she unpacks her experiences with queerness, mental health, gender roles and family tension. The result is an unflinching confrontation of her past and beautiful reclamation of self.
To celebrate The Eldest Daughter, Gatlin will be hosting a sold-out album preview party at Los Angeles’ In The Meantime on Wednesday, September 17, where she’ll play the new record front-to-back with a full band for the first time. She will then head to New York City for a just-announced official release party at Nightclub 101 on Tuesday, October 7. Gatlin has also been named Spotify’s GLOW Spotlight Artist for the month of September, affirming her voice as an LGBTQ+ artist and rising creative force in the community. For more info visit: https://www.gatlinmusic.com/
Gatlin – The Eldest Daughter Tracklist
1. Florida Man
2. If She Was A Boy
3. Man of the House
4. Soho House Valet
5. LOVE ME
6. Pipe Dream
7. Jesus Christ & Country Clubs
8. Happy
9. The Hill
10. Kissimmee
Photo credit: Luke Rogers