rabbit

In 2018, while studying pre-med in college, Beatrix Thorn, real name Natalie Gebhardt, made the decision to leave school and begin writing songs about becoming a woman. She was living in a town with few young adults, where life revolved around laboring, loitering, and low-level larceny. Lonely, innocent, and stoic, she repeatedly sought comfort in people who were often unable to offer it. As she puts it, she was "burned a lot, but learned a lot."

These experiences became the foundation for rabbit, an album that traces a formative chapter in her life, beginning in the suburbs outside Boston and culminating in her eventual move to Philadelphia. Across 13 tracks, the record explores vulnerability, disillusionment, personal growth, and the search for connection.

In 2022, at 24 years old, Gebhardt returned to school to study music, enrolling as a freshman at Philadelphia's University of the Arts. Following the university's unexpected closure at the end of her first year, she transferred to the Community College of Philadelphia, home to Spring Garden Records. Her voice and talent for songwriting caught the ear of producer and label director, Paul Geissinger, who had been releasing music as Starkey (Ninja Tune, Deadbeats, Planet Mu, Seclusiasis) for over 20 years.

Over the following two years, the pair transformed Beatrix Thorn’s original singer-songwriter piano ballads into rabbit, a richly varied collection of 13 immersive tracks. Moving between New Orleans-inspired jazz, esoteric electronic pop, and anthemic love songs, the album expands the emotional scope of the original compositions while retaining the intimacy at their core. Starkey’s production weaves together the album’s various genres seamlessly, while focusing all attention on Thorn’s vivid musical narratives.

The making of rabbit also marked a period of artistic growth beyond the recording studio. During this time, Thorn formed a band and began performing the songs live for the first time. The group’s studio performances appear on two tracks on rabbit, "Losing Friends in Paradise City," as well as closing track, "Billy Penn."

Another important connection came through Spring Garden Record’s Artist-in-Residence program, where she connected with Christopher Michael Stevens, who composed and performed the horn arrangement on the album's third track, "Stood Up. Through these experiences, rabbit became more than just a collection of deeply personal songs, but an outlet for collaboration for a bandleader breathing new energy into her compositions.

When asked to reflect on the release of rabbit, Thorn said, “It took me six years to write the songs on this album and another two years to record and produce it. In that same amount of time, I could have become a doctor, …but I made this instead. I hope you enjoy it.”  

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All songs written and performed by Beatrix Thorn, and produced, mixed and mastered by Starkey. Additional musical performances by Jason Carrete, Paul J. Geissinger, Christian Gill, Christopher Michael Stevens, Dave Klyman and Mattie Wentz. 

All tracks recorded by Paul J. Geissinger, except tracks 2 and 13 recorded by Dave Klyman. Additional assistant engineering by Jack Steinman and Augusten Touhey.

Album art by Dean Cousineau.