Katie Dauson writes early in the morning, when her mind is fresh and ideas arrive without resistance, and “Will You Won’t You” has that spontaneous spark embedded in its DNA. The Toronto singer-songwriter’s new single is out now, produced by James Nickle, and it’s a toe-tapping, grin-inducing slice of rockabilly rock and roll that feels both vintage and completely alive.
Drawing from 1950s rockabilly, particularly The Crickets, and the ’70s revivalists who modernized the style, including Blondie and George Thorogood, Dauson blends retro swing with a contemporary edge that makes the track sit comfortably across rockabilly, rock and roll, and country all at once.
Her enthusiasm for the source material is genuine and specific. “I love George Thorogood’s guitar playing, and the fact that he added a saxophone player to his band in 1980. Saxophone is such an important instrument in rock and roll and rockabilly, it really elevated his music. I love how some of the ’70s groups took that ’50s style and modernised it with more instrumentation and a different vibe.”
The recording approach reflects that same attention to detail. Dauson tracked the rhythm guitar on a left-handed G&L Comanche in Shoreline Gold, choosing the instrument specifically for its distinctive Z-coil pickups and their unique tonal character. A fuzz pedal was added to inject a touch of modern dirt and grit into the mix, bridging the vintage feel with something harder-edged and current.
“Will You Won’t You” follows previous single “Get Ready” and continues to build the case for Dauson as one of Toronto’s most genre-savvy and fearlessly individual voices. Playful, gritty, and irresistibly catchy, it honours the roots of rock and roll while sounding entirely like its own thing.