When my now husband, David Kruse introduced himself to me, he wanted to set up a phone call across Oceans to get my take on him starting a Catholic Record Label. I laughed and told him it was a silly idea because there’s no good Catholic music out there.
Here’s what I meant.
At that point, all of the music labeled “Catholic” that I had heard since my conversion back to the church was either poorly done or a copy of something else. I’m referring to ’70s hymns, written and performed poorly at mass in parishes across Australia, Canada, England, and Ireland (where I had lived, up until that point in my life), or young Catholic worship bands writing music that was essentially a carbon copy of protestant praise and worship. Now, a lot of Catholics out there enjoy some of the music I’ve mentioned. For me, up until that point in my life, I hadn’t heard anything unique and creative, I hadn’t heard anything written by Catholics that made me go ‘Wow’, I hadn’t heard anything that I enjoyed listening to.
Let’s Go Back To The Brilliance Of Catholic Music And Art
I believe a similar experience can be had in many areas of “Catholic” art. Why are the majority of Catholic films low-budget and poorly made? How many of those watercolor saints without faces will we see in Catholic graphic design? Just picture “Catholic Women’s Ministry” and you know the font we’re all thinking of. Why do most Catholic musicians just play three chords and write unoriginal and uninteresting lyrics? Why isn’t there more variety and excellence? Wasn’t the church the head of art years ago? Didn’t we birth incredibly detailed and life-like paintings, larger than life intricate sculptures, beautiful chant and choral pieces sung by talented choirs, written by good songwriters? How can we get back to the brilliance that was so prevalent in art created by Catholics, years ago?
Think about all the great literature out there. It’s not all just Christian allegory. There’s fantasy, romance, action, horror, sci-fi, and drama. We can recognize a piece of literature as good even when it is explicitly non-Christian, and it’s the same with music. Widening your boundaries will help you not get stuck in a box, and you can begin to find your unique sound, which often encompasses many genres.
After researching and performing with many Catholic artists, I am pleased to say I have found some fantastic music written by Catholics that is unlike anything I have heard before. Today, I want to share with you our Catholics Unearthed playlist and highlight three of my favourite songs on it.
A Spotify Playlist Of Music Written By Catholics
Margaret hails from Virginia, USA. She is deeply in love with Jesus, her husband Chris, and the baby in her belly. My favourite thing about Margaret’s music is her vocal melodies. Most Christian singers write incredibly simple, ‘easy to sing back after one listen’ melodies, but Margaret takes it to the next level. This creates the experience of cranking her tunes and singing along, which is super satisfying once you learn the words. It truly feels like you’re singing along with a friend. This summer, I recommend turning this one on after the sun sets, paired with low lighting and red wine. Then you’ll get the full experience of the beautiful songwriting of Margaret Knapp’s ‘temporary’.
Rob is a recent convert from New Jersey, USA. He is a great songwriter and a great producer. This song includes narration-like singing in the verses, which always charms me, and a catchy chorus with boppy bass. The song could easily be described as ‘Chill’, but it is far from lazily produced or uninteresting. The guitars shine best here with delayed crunch throughout the whole song, only to back away for a delightful solo before the final chorus. With only two singles released, Rob really will keep you wanting more, but this summer I recommend going for a drive in the heat of the day with this song turned up, head bopping, and voice raised.
Shana ‘Valere’ Graham hails from New Zealand, and she wrote this song for you and your crush. The instrumentation in this song is just genius, and the chorus is catchy as all-heck as she sings “Do you ever think about me like that?” The verses really build tension in a way that makes you feel very cool if you know all the words. In my opinion, a good test for whether or not a song is good is if the bridge (or middle 8*, if you’re from England) is catchy and a good addition to the song. Usually, it is just there because the artist needed something different. “Your love is tender fruit that I’m craving” is what I sing to my family for at least a week after I hear this song, and this bridge goes into a ‘psych’ chorus/synth solo, which lets the listener sing the chorus solo if desired. This summer, I recommend sending this song to your crush and having it blare in the background while you grill up (Or have a barbeque*, if you’re from Australia). It will be the sweetest choreographed cooking you’ll have ever done.
Enjoy listening to the entirety of our playlist. You’ll find your new favourite Catholic artists there. If you do, please follow them on social media and consider buying their merchandise. It’s tough to make it as a musician in today’s world, especially if you’re a practicing Catholic, and as a musician myself, I can tell you that we all really appreciate the support!
