My Best Friend Is You

Kate writes her own songs - she plays piano, guitar, bass, drums - and producer Bernard Butler found a way of bringing the songs to life without losing any of her idiosyncratic personality. The result; an album that is eclectic, adventurous, and honest.

There's the 60s girl group influence of "Kiss That Grrrl" (and more self-mocking paranoia: 'She's instantly more pretty and interesting than me') and the gentle beauty of the folksy "You Were So Far Away." There are minimalist lyrics on both the raw punk of "I've Got A Secret," and "I Just Love You More." Set against Sonic Youth feedback, Kate sings 'I just love you more than anything' between expressive yelps; by the end, she is breathless.

Kate's debut album, Made of Bricks, was about wanting to be in love; Kate's new effort is about trust, sexism, homophobia, honesty - and how being in a serious relationship has made her feel less selfish and more grown-up. 'I don't want to be gushy and weird about it, but I am in love! I don't worry about making myself too vulnerable: I always write with my heart on my sleeve. If you don't then you're not living.'

The final track, "I Hate Seagulls," is about 'admitting you're in love with someone'. It's a stream-of-consciousness list of what she hates (seagulls; being sick; burning her finger on the toaster; nits) and what she likes (cream teas, reading, 'your hand in mine'). 'It's basically saying that I hate all this crap life throws at you, but it's okay because I love somebody and they love me back.'

With a second album of which she is rightly proud - 'nothing was rushed; I've developed as a writer' - does Kate still feel like an outsider? 'I will probably always feel like an outsider because I don't fit the format of a female artist. But I'm not worried about it. No way. I've always done things my own way and, for that reason alone, I'm happy.'