Through fulfilling their goal to bring more feminal energy into the recording process, Katy Guillen & The Drive achieved one of their most expansive and vulnerable albums to date with their sophomore release Make That Sound (October 2025).
Established in 2019, Katy Guillen & The Drive is an independent Indie Roots Rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, formed by partners Katy Guillen (Vocals, Guitar) and Stephanie Williams (Drums). The band’s 2022 debut album Another One Gained, produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards), “hit the sweet spot with a mix of spiky garage rock and soulful country torch songs,” lauds Uncut Magazine. Under The Radar Magazine declares the duo “evokes a timeless indie rock sound” and displays “effortless instrumental chemistry that gives both members a chance to shine.” Following this release, the band unleashed Another One Gained Deluxe featuring ‘Batallas,’ a highly anticipated Spanish version of the fan-favorite ‘Battles,’ which spotlighted special guest Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos (Flor De Toloache) on violin and backing vocals.
Katy Guillen & The Drive prides itself on fostering empowered spaces for women in music both onstage and off, and performances showcase the group’s signature all-female powerhouse formation, technical prowess, and electrifying chemistry. This core value heavily influenced the band’s second full-length effort Make That Sound. Guillen admits, “Having never worked with a woman in the studio, that’s something we wanted to change on this record. We wanted more female energy, ideas, and power to influence this album.” With this goal in mind, the band was eventually led to Producer Megan McCormick (Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah). As a result of their fast friendship and facile chemistry, the duo embraced their newfound creative trust in this relationship and ran with it. Within a matter of a few days, the three collaborated on everything from songwriting and arrangements to live tracking and overdubs, resulting in a liberated, emboldened, and nuanced new record. Williams shares, “The recording process was dense and fast. It required being totally present, trusting our initial instincts, and pushing into some uncharted territory at times.” Guillen speaks to the inspiration behind the songs and process, “In creating this album I felt particularly inspired by the countless strong and important women in my life, the love that I’ve grown with my partner, and the strength I’ve gained from digging inward through challenging times.” Make That Sound is a celebration of self-empowerment, liberation, vulnerability, honesty, and love. In addition to McCormick, the band was fortunate to work with engineers Brandon Bell (Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell) and Annie Petrik on tracking and mixing, as well as mastering engineer Kim Rosen (Bonnie Raitt, Allison Russell). The band will be partnering with Nashville-based indie label and artist collective Are & Be Recordings for the release.
The year ahead will see the band touring across the country in support of their October release, as well as festival dates and west coast shows in support of U.K. guitar legend Robin Trower. Make That Sound album release tour dates can be found at katyguillenmusic.com.
Angela Perley makes music for road trips across the American heartland. Rooted in cosmic alt-country, roadhouse rock & roll, witchy-woman psychedelia, and amplified Americana, it's a vintage sound repackaged for the modern world, glued together by a singer-songwriter who's played everything from dive bars to arenas.
Before she shared shows with American icons like Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams, Perley launched her career as the frontwoman of Angela Perley and The Howlin' Moons. Working with her longtime guitarist and musical partner Chris Connor, she released five EPs and two full-length albums under the Howlin' Moons name between 2010 and 2018, building her fanbase at home (where songs like "Electric Flame" became staples of midwestern radio) and abroad (where the band's first release, Hey Kid, reached number 6 on the EuroAmericana Chart).
Perley made her solo debut with 2019's 4:30, followed by Turn Me Loose — another collection of amplified American roots music, laced with pedal steel, Telecaster twang, and Gibson grit — in 2023. Holiday singles like the Christmastime track "North Star Bound" and the banjo-fueled Halloween song "Ghoul For You" followed, along with live EP (Moonlight Audio Sessions) that showcased the onstage chemistry Perley shares with Columbus-area heavyweights Nick Kurth (guitar), Jon Coale (drums), Nate Smith (bass), and Alex Estrada (pedal steel).
The momentum continues with Perley's woozy, western-themed single "LA Cowgirl," whose nostalgic sound was inspired by the band's performance at the Stagecoach Festival in 2023. Evoking the dusty landscapes and wide-open skies of the California desert, "LA Cowgirl" breaks new ground for Perley, showcasing a tireless traveler who continues to chase down her own horizon.
