In the write-up for AJJ’s The Bible 2 I talked about how Rosie used to let me listen to my music and now she refuses and forces me to listen to The UglyDolls Soundtrack (which is why Kelly Clarkson is one of my Top 5 Most Listened to Artists of the Decade on Spotify, which to be fair, is mostly by virtue of only really beginning to use Spotify this year, but still, blegh). HOWEVER, there is a caveat, and that is we can listen to my music, but only if it’s a girl singer and it’s relatively upbeat. This is how Kacey Musgraves and Alex Lahey also made that Top 5 Most Listened to Artists of the Decade Spotify list. Other favorites include Muncie Girls (whose Fixed Ideals was #51 on this list and required me to bust out my old college radio DJ tricks to edit songs for language on the fly), boygenius, Hop Along, and a few others. Alex Lahey’s debut LP though, that one was special. It brought Rosie so much joy, that my enjoyment of the album is tied to that. She knows all of the lyrics to most of the songs, and hearing her belt them out in the car and dance around to them in the house was pure joy. But it helps that this album is pure joy as well. It’s as confident a debut as you’re likely to find, and the songs, for the most part, are all outstanding (my only quibble with this album is that I wish it had a stronger closer as “There’s No Money” ends things on a down note). “Everyday’s the Weekend” and “I Haven’t Been Taking Care of My Self” are perfect power pop jams that are legit future classics and establish Lahey’s songwriting bonafides, but the murkier “Lotto in Reverse” and the melancholy “Backpack” show off her range and help balance out the killer indie rock tunes. Lahey’s 2019 followup--The Best of Luck Club--found Lahey pushing her sound (and showcasing her mad saxophone chops) and it’s evidence that that I Love You Like a Brother was only the beginning of her sure to be incredible career.
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