Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon break with our Afternoon Tea curators. Need an extra lump of sugar? One more sip? If you have five minutes more (or ten), we have one more hit.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by Katharine Fountain.
Halifax artist and producer Katharine Fountain introduces her solo project with “When Good Girls Go Bad,” a dark, cinematic electronic pop single exploring the loss of innocence and identity in the aftermath of trauma. The track marks the first release from her forthcoming Dark Days EP, a deeply personal collection written while navigating grief, destructive coping mechanisms, and the search for oneself following profound loss. Pairing shadowy, visceral beats with lush, atmospheric production, the single captures the emotional weight of shame and the struggle to recognize oneself after life has been irrevocably altered.
Written during a period when Fountain felt increasingly disconnected from herself, “When Good Girls Go Bad” emerged from the realization that the coping mechanisms she had turned to were only deepening her pain. Overwhelmed by shame and the weight of unspoken experiences, she began questioning how she had strayed so far from the person she once knew.
Stream + share “When Good Girls Go Bad” now:
“I no longer recognized the face I saw in the mirror and asked myself where I went wrong,” Fountain explains, pointing to the question at the heart of the chorus: I’d like to know where they go when good girls go bad.
Written and produced by Fountain herself, the final recording retains much of the original demo she created several years earlier, combining its foundational synths and programmed drums with organic instrumentation. A Fazioli grand piano, performed by Dean Holbrough, and powerful live drums from Sekou Lumumba add depth and intensity to the electronic arrangement.
Drawn to the richness of blending analogue and electronic sounds, Fountain carefully builds tension through melody and arrangement, allowing the instrumentation to mirror the vulnerability and drama of the lyrics. Her vocals shift between ethereal fragility and commanding power, making the production an essential part of the song’s emotional storytelling.
Written in the years following the death of her only sibling to suicide, Dark Days explores depression, abusive relationships, and the search for comfort in harmful places. The EP became a way for Fountain to process experiences she had struggled to articulate, transforming a period of profound emotional upheaval into an intimate musical narrative.
Having found comfort in music during some of her loneliest moments, Fountain hopes her own work can offer that same sense of understanding to others. “I hope that someone will listen to my music and feel seen.”
Agony by Yung Lean
I discovered this song late one night on a recent trip to London. The first time I heard it I was struck by how raw Lean’s vocal is, it is remarkably imperfect and I love that about it. The song is seductive in the sense that it pulls my awareness into a corner of my mind that I don’t often visit, but am always curious to explore. For the past few weeks I’ve been listening to it over and over, it puts me into an immediate daydream.
Visual: Schiaparelli Gold Leaf Cage Dress
On that same trip to London I got to visit Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I wish everyone could see this exhibition. All of the pieces were my favourite, but my mind keeps drifting back to this one. It is so visually satisfying to me. I love the shape. It is delicate yet strong, a piece of golden armour refracting thousands of glittering jewels. I am at a stage in my artistry where I want to be bolder in the choices I make regarding my visual identity. I want to try new things, I want to create something that can’t be duplicated because I made it with my own hands. I want to cultivate a style that is distinctively my own. I felt so inspired to do just that after leaving the show.
Throat Coat by Traditional Medicinals
I so didn’t want to say Throat Coat, but it’s Throat Coat. Never the lemon kind though. The regular one – ideally with a generous swirl of honey. Singers know! I have been sipping my way through a seemingly endless supply of it ever since I accidentally ordered a carton of 12 boxes last year instead of the individual 1 that I meant to buy ahead of a session. If anyone needs some please let me know, I’m more than happy to share!
