Ceryn and Hannah look at the recent success of queer womxn’s music and explore the rather tragic themes that so often permeate their work
Confessional pop is nothing new. For the past decade in fact, it has been a core component of Taylor Swift’s brand and has coloured the works of artists such as Lana del Rey and Lorde.
What is new, however, is a recent trend in which more and more queer womxn are baring their souls in a string of deeply intimate releases.
A great deal of indie rock and pop in 2019 was dominated by womxn that just so happened to be singing about other womxn – from the ascent of King Princess after endorsement from established artists such as Harry Styles, to the rise to the top by Clairo.
We take a deep dive into the recent success of queer womxn’s music and explore the rather tragic themes that so often permeate their work.
Clairo, Bags
Over dreamy lo-fi beats, Clairo pours her longing into lyrics
balancing female friendship and romantic intimacy – a theme that courses through the veins of Bags, the single that propelled Claire Cottrill to fame. Bags is an ode to the tentative nature of queer pining. One womxn doesn’t dare overthink the touch of another for fear of misreading the moment, yet wondrous things can emerge from this slightest brush of the fingers.
Lucy Dacus, Night Shift
Night Shift, Dacus’s epic six-minute contemplation on the search for closure, is a beast of a mourning track. Dacus begins her story of a failed romance by singing the first time she ‘tasted
somebody else’s spit’, she ‘had a coughing fit’. This image is raw, it rips the song’s subject apart and tosses the remains aside in the hope of creating tracks to eventually ‘feel like covers, dedicated to new lovers’.
Snail Mail, Heat Wave
Lush, Lindsey Jordan’s debut, is a record preoccupied with the subject of unrequited love. Perhaps nowhere is this theme more prevalent than on Heat Wave. It chronicles the breakdown of a relationship with another womxn, as Jordan refuses to serve as her occasional lover. She repeatedly asserts that she is ‘not into sometimes’ in a blistering outro, preceded by aching verses in which she begs for scraps from the table.
MUNA, Pink Light
‘So I let it happen again, I loved someone who’s indifferent’ – we’ve all been there. Going
through a series of break-ups can leave us feeling like we just can’t catch a break, but queer trio MUNA want you to know that there is a (pink) light at the end of the tunnel. Pink Light is a true heartbreak bop encompassed by self-doubt and what-ifs, as is expected of anyone going through a breakup: ‘thinking if I start again, I can change the way it ends.’ But, that pink light is a sign for happier things to come.
The Japanese House, Something Has to Change
Amber Bain oozes sadgirl queer pop. Something Has To Change consists of dreamy
electronic pop paired with silky androgynous vocals that make for an emotive track about queer hearbreak:’Your heart keeps breaking in the same place.’ Here, Bain laments on queer confusion, where it is common for womxn to fall into unhealthy relationships as they get caught up in the turbulence of navigating their identity.
King Princess, Talia
King Princess AKA Mikaela Straus, is queer pop royalty for sure. Crowned ‘king’ of the lesbian
ballad, the 21-year-old has earned herself a dedicated queer fanbase. Being openly gay, gender-fluid, and so overtly comfortable with her sexual identity, she is an important role model for young queer people. Talia is a melancholy track that questions queer love and its power. The ultimate message is that everyone deals with heartbreak in their own way but sometimes you just need to allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling.
For more sadgirl queer pop bops check out our Spotify playlist and listen to the latest episode of One Gay, One Guy.