I was a big fan of last year's Inbred EP, and especially its singles ("Crush" and "Michelle Pfeiffer"). The pre-release singles from her upcoming debut (out 5/12) are also really good. I love her sound and vibe, the combination of dream-pop reverb and anthemic instincts.
She has quite the backstory too (short version, she's a trans PK from backwoods Florida who grew up singing in church), and a dedicated troupe of online disciples, which makes her interesting but the music is the main selling point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKnFBRMzRas
I was about to either start this thread or revive another vaguely appropriate one. I feel like she's getting better? Like, "Michelle Pfeiffer" and "Crush" are great, but the run this year - the "Everytime" cover, "Gibson Girl", "Strangers" and now "American Teenager" - is just like bam bam bam bam. Not necessarily stronger material per se, but it feels more confident, more connected to its own value, more embodied with a sense of the artist's distinct personality. Relatedly, I like that she is sharpening her commercial instincts, especially with "American Dream" which from the title on down is very calculated but in a way that totally works for me (the Journey-esque guitar solo is A+). Though I think "Strangers" is perhaps the best of them: I love how it's unclear whether the overtones of violence are metaphorical or literal - is she singing about a past obsessive relationship she has moved on from, or is she a ghost haunting the lover who murdered her?
― Tim F, Tuesday, 3 May 2022 13:08 (two years ago) link
She deserves her own thread, of course, and assuming all trans rockers sound the same/are the same is dumb and limiting, but Mel Stone, who I've been following since an appearance on a podcast to talk about Velvet Goldmine some years back, is also a choice listen, and in ways there is a connection to Cain's work because they both find differing/distinct ways to make the hoary burnout dullness of whatever classic rock as such was sound better again. One of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8P1DJCG58c
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 3 May 2022 15:58 (two years ago) link
Tour dates:
07/14/22 — Bloomington, IN — The Bishop
07/15/22 — Chicago, IL — Pitchfork Festival
07/18/22 — Detroit, MI — El Club
07/19/22 — Toronto, ON — Horseshoe
07/20/22 — Montreal, QC — Le Ritz PDB
07/22/22 — Boston, MA — Brighton Music Hall
07/23/22 — Philadelphia, PA — Johnny Brendas
07/24/22 — Washington, DC — Union Stage
07/27/22 — Richmond, VA — Richmond Music Hall
07/28/22 — Asheville, NC — The Grey Eagle
07/30/22 — Gainesville, FL — High Dive
07/31/22 — Tallahassee, FL — 926 Bar
08/5/22 — Denver, CO — Vortex Fest
08/20/22 — Seattle, WA — Neumos
08/21/22 — Vancouver, BC — Wise Hall
08/22/22 — Portland, OR — Mississippi Studios
08/2522 — San Francisco — The Independent
08/27/22 — Los Angeles, CA — This Ain’t No Picnic
08/28/22 — San Diego, CA — Humphrey’s (Here & There)
08/30/22 — Phoenix, AZ — Valley Bar
09/1/22 — Austin, TX — ACL Live @ Moody Theatre (Here & There)
09/2/22 — Dallas, TX — Ruins
09/6/22 — Atlanta, GA — The Earl
09/7/22 — Nashville, TN — Basement East
09/9/22 — NYC — Bowery Ballroom
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 10 May 2022 16:57 (one year ago) link
two months pass...
four months pass...