Katlyn Conroy's debut record, I Think I'll Stay Inside, opens with soft keys and sleigh bells. She's singing about a Kansas winter and all the unfortunate things that come with it — the loneliness, the bitter wind. The rest of the album focuses on the struggle to overcome that loneliness and turn it into something productive. Conroy, who sings with the band Another Holiday, does just that, combining the effortless keyboard pop of Emily Haines with the understated storytelling of Christine Fellows. She's at her best on the sparse "Games," a resolution that repeats and turns back on itself, rushing through lists and promises: She'll start drinking tea, planting flowers, filling picture frames and burying all the memories that keep her from moving on. The beautiful "The Return of Nature" plays like a soundtrack to the History Channel's apocalyptic Life After People, and "Hollow Days," a duet with Minus Story's Jordan Geiger, is interesting and unexpected. Geiger's high and frail voice complements hers, which is full and powerful. If the songs explore isolation, the actual recordings do anything but, swelling with horns, strings and soft percussion. I Think I'll Stay Inside is perfect for curling up in a blanket with some headphones on and staying inside.
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