Howdy, and welcome to Good And Good For You, a newsletter about music and feelings. Sometimes on Fridays, I’ll put out a music, memes, and pop culture roundup. I hope you like it!! If you don’t, please don’t tell me—it will hurt my feelings.
New-ish Music!
Music, with a capital M, is starting to heat up now that we’re fully past the holidays (and thank GOD—both for the music, and the holidays being over. Sorry, I’m a grinch).
One of my new year’s resolutions has been to listen to, see, and write about more local music, so you may notice a few Austin artists in here! Other than that, just stuff I thought was worth sharing that came out either this week or within the past few weeks. (in the vein of “graphic design is my passion”) ✌🏻Chaotic Curation Is My Passion.✌🏻
Albums
Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry
With her sophomore release, TEXAS LEGEND Katy Kirby hones her lyrical and musical craft with this collection of deceptively sturdy ballads about her most fragile feelings.
RIYL: Lucy Dacus, Ratboys
Large Brush Collection - Off Center
This eclectic Austin group offers a crisp, creative take on folk that feels fitting for 2024: meandering vocals, plaintive woodwinds, and a warm, acrobatic bass line leading the charge.
RIYL: Big Thief, Florist
The Smile - Wall of Eyes
You know ‘em. You love ‘em. Come and get your slop (in the most complimentary way possible), all my fellow Radiohead-heads!
RIYL: Radiohead, Radiohead
Stalefish - Stalefish Does America
I stumbled upon this band’s album release show last week while aimlessly frequenting Hotel Vegas—isn’t that some East Sixth serendipity? Stalefish Does America is serving loose but catchy bass-and-drums-driven rock realness, with the occasional wacky drum machine or scuzzy guitar appearance.
RIYL: Pavement, Superchunk
glass beach - plastic death
Released last week, plastic death is a crazy amalgamation of math rock, post-hardcore, and completely wacky early-2000s-esque indie rock. Frontperson J. McClendon describes the record as “the Pacific garbage patch: cultural trash strewn together seemingly by accident, standing in stark juxtaposition to each other.” There are songs I don’t love, but overall, it’s a theatrical, impressive rock album that I highly recommend trying out, especially for music nerds.
RIYL: Radiohead’s weird shit, The Dismemberment Plan
Office Dog - Spiel
This one’s for the rockers.
RIYL: The Vaccines, The Districts
EKKSTACY - EKKSTACY
I saw this guy at last year’s SXSW and he had CRAZY star power. This debut album features big names like The Kid LAROI—definitely one to watch.
RIYL: Listening to pop punk-adjacent music that makes you feel like a teen for a second
Goth Babe - Lola
Jury’s still out on how I feel about this one, personally, but I have no choice but to acknowledge anybody with their own sailboat on their album cover. (I was a sailor in a past life.) Plus, I feel like some of y’all would fw this, so I figured why not throw it in.
RIYL: Vacationer, COIN
Not Albums
Grace Cummings - “On and On”
Another fabulous Texas artist! Just kidding, she’s from Australia. Her second album, Ramona, comes out 4/5. She is one of my absolute favorite new artists from recent years: if you check out ONE release from this email, it should be her. A voice—and I do not say this lightly—like no one else.
RIYL: Nico, Sharon Van Etten
Odie Leigh - “No Doubt”
Via Ann Powers’ Instagram: “Only a few times this century have I seen an artist with such a command over her audience at the beginning of her career: blackfootwhitefoot was one, julienrbaker was another, .fun was another. All went on to huge success. odieleigh is in that category. Watch this one.”
RIYL: Indigo De Souza, Aimee Mann
Flowerbomb - Gloom Scroll, Vol. 1 EP
Grungy guitars + femme vocals is my bat signal.
RIYL: The girl band in a 2000s teen movie
Creekbed Carter Hogan - “If I Was”
Haunting, older-than-the-hills-sounding alt-country from a delightful Austin artist. His album, Creekbed Carter, comes out 3/22.
RIYL: Milk Carton Kids, Gregory Alan Isakov
Empress Of - “What’s Love (ft. MUNA)”
If it features MUNA, I WILL be listening. Her next album, For Your Consideration, comes out 3/22.
RIYL: MUNA (obviously), Kelela
Sheer Mag - “Moonstruck”
This groovy, punk-tinged song has been doing some HEAVY lifting on behalf of my mental health this last week or so. Their upcoming album, Playing Favorites, comes out 3/1.
RIYL: Pre-chorus yelling “Well c’mon you son of a bitch!”
I had a few more I thought about including but unfortunately, I’ve gotta get back to work (to my boss: I was NOT writing this during work hours!!!!!).
Talk to you soon,
Katie