Kevin Atwater prepares for unfiltered vulnerability in headline tour and debut album, “Achilles”
Kevin Atwater is undeniably one of the most poignant storytellers and visionaries to recently arise in the indie scene. Navigating through his experiences as a queer man, his music ranges from delicate whispers of love and loss to jagged daggers that pierce straight through the heart. Atwater has proved time and time again that he is not afraid to tackle the most sensitive content in his songs to demonstrate authentic experience through every single word that he sings and every single note that he plays. Downers Grove, his 2023 EP, showed his breathtaking penmanship encapsulated through a glowing indie folk pop sound that spoke deeply to his growing audience. While Atwater has consistently released singles like “why did you invite me to your wedding” and “ferry beer” over the last year and released a “Reimagined” version of Downers Grove last summer, there were only murmurs of the next extended body of work coming from Atwater until earlier this week.
After teasing “big news in gay niche world soon” on Instagram, Kevin Atwater announced that his debut album, Achilles, will be released on March 7th. With a title like Achilles, there’s no denying that this project will be the most vulnerable yet from the singer-songwriter. While no tracklist has been revealed, the first officially confirmed song off the record, “the cage,” comes out this Friday, February 7th. Atwater teases “the cage” as “my favorite song i’ve made so far btw,” so there’s no denying that devastating poetry will await listeners while waiting for the project to be released.
A month after its release, Kevin Atwater will be taking Achilles to the stage on his first headline North American tour. From early April to early May, the tour hits 19 US cities with an additional date in Toronto. Two rising stars in the indie scene open for Atwater: folk songwriter Aubory Bugg takes the stage for the first half, while alternative musician Renny Conti concludes the final dates of the tour. The Achilles Tour promises to tug on heart strings as one of the most stunning indie tours coming up this spring.
While 2024 was an exciting year for his music, Kevin Atwater seems unstoppable, as he’s already shaping 2025 to be the biggest year of his career yet. While it’s hard to stay chill about it, we’ll be trying our best to keep it cool as the story of Achilles unfolds over the next month. If you’re feeling the same, you can prepare for the release by pre-saving “the cage” here. Additionally, you can check out all of the dates for Atwater’s North American tour and purchase pre-sale tickets at the link here.