
Ashevilleโs Pretty Little Saturday (Kristi Knupp) has finally grabbed the mic. After a run of singles through 2025, her debut Long Overdue (out Jan 20, 2026) lands like a personal archive cracked open, with indie-pop thatโs lushly electronic but still warm-blooded. You can hear the photographerโs eye in the songwriting too, as everythingโs framed with atmosphere, little emotional close-ups, and neon-meets-mountain scenery.
Right away, โBulletproofโ sets the tone with crystalline, glistening pulses and glassy, rustling percussion that sparkles on top of a deep, grounding beat. Knuppโs voice is soft and tenderโdreamy, almost weightlessโyet the message is steel-toed, โSticks and stones wonโt break me โcause I am bulletproof.โ Itโs resilience without the chest-thumping, like sheโs talking herself into strength in real time.
Then the title track โLong Overdueโ comes in with harder beats and a subtle jingle running alongside, all bright motion under a relaxed, breathy vocal. She sings like sheโs half-whispering a truth sheโs been sitting on, โNothing stays the same / Moments pass and seasons changeโฆโ and when the chorus hits, her delivery turns chirpier, more open, like the clouds finally split.
โTangerineโ is the albumโs emotional gut-punch, opening on a whimsical, wistful melody while her voice floats in like a confession sheโs afraid to say too loud. She sings, โCanโt handle anything thatโs actually real in life, I just seem to run and hide everythingโ pull you straight into that quiet-collapse headspace, and the chorus question, โWhoโs going to love you when youโre falling apart at the seams?โ stings because itโs so unfiltered. Even when she admits, โEvery time that you break me, you seem to think itโs fine,โ thereโs defiance under the tenderness, a subtle refusal to stay small.
By the time โAfterglowโ rolls around (already clocking 22k+ plays), the record shifts into cruising mode: pulsating beats, jittery percussion, and a lighter, chirpy vocal thatโs built for windows-down replay. โWaiting for the afterglowโ feels like the albumโs final exhale, that shows that Long Overdue is a turning point.
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Review by: Naomi Joan
