Steph Casey is a singer and songwriter from New Zealand who lives on the Kāpiti Coast near Wellington, and she has long been loved for her warm mix of folk, country, and Americana music. Many people compare her sound to great artists like Lucinda Williams, Mary Gauthier, and Glen Hansard. She first won big praise in 2013 with her debut album, Whisper & Holler, which climbed high on the New Zealand music charts and was a semifinalist in the UK Songwriting Contest. In 2019, she followed that success with The Seats In My Car, an album recorded in Wellington with producer Dr. Lee Prebble that featured popular story-driven songs. Over the years, she has toured across New Zealand and the United States, played at major folk festivals, opened for famous country bands, and even had her music featured in the 2021 New Zealand movie Poppy.
Real growth as an artist rarely happens when life is easy, and Steph Casey proves this truth on her bold new five-song record, 10,000 Hail Marys. After a life-changing music trip across the United States and a major turning point in August 2024, she decided to leave her regular day job. For twenty-two months she played live shows in clubs, cafes, bars and festivals all the time to perfect her craft. During this time, she stepped away from her usual acoustic folk roots to follow old dreams by picking up an electric Telecaster guitar and teaching herself to play an old family heirloom piano. Working alongside a talented group of backing musicians and guest singers, she turned personal pain, broken romance, and health struggles into an unforgettable record about survival and strength.
The record opens with the title track, “10,000 Hail Marys,” which boldly questions people who walk away from love without caring about the damage they leave behind. Inspired by the loud, gritty electric rock sound Casey loved in her early twenties at a Wellington club, this song looks closely at someone who suddenly disappears from a deep relationship. It explores the hurt of realizing that a bond built on shared memories and family closeness meant everything to one person, yet was treated like a brief game by the other. Rather than wallowing in self-pity, the singer illuminates the guilty conscience of the person who left. The song makes it clear that no amount of endless praying or hollow apologies can easily wipe away the pain of intentionally breaking someone’s trust.
On the second track, “Cool Glass of Water,” Casey moves from questioning another’s guilt to defending her own peace, showcasing her newly acquired liberty on the electric guitar as she chooses self-respect over heartbreak. Here, the point is that she no longer wants to bear the weight of unrequited love. The song is about throwing away unwanted feelings as quickly and coldly as they were rejected, comparing the unwanted feelings to an old worn-out sock, a throwaway rag or a bug that is brushed aside. This music has a very clear message about self worth : she is a refreshing drink of cold water; he is just an annoying cough. Real personal power starts the moment you understand your own value and let toxic people go without anger or regret.
Shifting from outer conflict to deep inner healing, the third song, “Let It All Go,” brings forward the raw emotion. Casey discovered while teaching herself to play her family’s old piano. While the story feels relatable to anyone who has ever sat alone on a bed counting years of hidden tears, its true heart comes from Casey’s real-life struggle with misophonia, a difficult brain condition that causes painful reactions to everyday sounds. Written after going through therapy to help both herself and others living with the same condition, the song pictures hidden pain and sound triggers as dangerous snakes creeping around in the dark. However, a gentle inner voice breaks through the lonely night to urge the listener to release old anger and shame. Central to it all is the healing power of forgiveness and self-compassion, proving that it’s never too late in life to let go of past trauma and embrace peace and love.
Continuing this journey of strength, the fourth track, “Merced,” which came out as a single in September 2026, tells the true story of a frightening emergency during Casey’s travels in America. Built around her simple, honest piano playing and featuring the calm spoken voice of her longtime American music partner Gary Sunshine, the song places the singer seven thousand miles away from home in central California. Carrying a broken heart and a worn-out suitcase, she ends up stuck in a cheap motel on a rough side of town while dangerous wildfires fill the sky with smoke, flames, and fear. With nearby highways unsafe and both trains and buses shut down, she faces the terrifying feeling of being completely trapped with nowhere to run. Ten minutes before she is forced to leave her room a kind stranger steps in and gives her a bus ticket to San Francisco, proving that simple human kindness can still save us even in the middle of real and emotional fires.
The record finishes with “Well-Worn Teeth,” an honest warning from the past that Casey admits she was never brave enough to write or share when she was younger. Singing in the lowest, most natural part of her voice alongside the rough, soulful singing of blues artist Steve “Dog” Hall, she uses a story about ocean creatures to show the danger of one-sided romance. The song tells of a gentle, trusting fish caught by the shiny charm of a smooth hunter who only wanted physical excitement without real love. Even after getting hurt the first time and begging to be left alone, the gentle fish is pulled back into shallow waters where deep feelings are banned and everything must stay brief and casual. By the end, the song drops all gentle comparisons to face the painful truth of being used purely for physical pleasure, leaving a final warning to watch out for charming people who hide sharp, experienced teeth behind a lovely smile.
When heard from start to finish, 10,000 Hail Marys stands as a wonderful victory of honesty and creative bravery. By leaving behind her comfort zone to embrace both the raw power of an electric guitar and the warm sound of an old family piano, Steph Casey has made a record that reflects her real growth as a person and an artist. Every single song plays a vital part in taking the listener on a journey from the shock of sudden betrayal and the urge to protect one’s heart, through the hard battle against a painful sound disorder and scary California wildfires, to the clear wisdom of knowing what you deserve. But 10,000 Hail Marys is not just a collection of songs about heartbreak and survival. This is the sound of a fearless artist owning every single word and proving that real peace doesn’t come from staying silent or broken.
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