Rainbow Ruckus 2/25: Sweet Petunia, Jesse Blake Rundle, Rio Romeo, and More!

Every week, Rainbow Rodeo brings you the best new queer country music! Listen to this playlist on Tidal! Thanks to Elliott for making a parallel list on Apple Music! Missed a week? TA Inskeep is generously keeping an archive of all music featured on this Spotify playlist.

Please note: we are no longer updating our Spotify playlist.

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• Grace Givertz and Rat Tally take on the seemingly endemic pattern of white men who devalue their Black partners on "Black Belt." Givertz and Tally's voices ring true amid an indie rock groove and angular banjo line. The song is not without its humor, pointing to both parties' contribution to a toxic dynamic.

• Never has a song titled "Puke" sounded so sweet, but perhaps that's the magic of Sweet Petunia. Yet the content is no laughing matter, as Mairead Guy recounts a period of depression that was so bad, Guy would throw up upon waking up. It's the latest entry from the pair's upcoming album Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown, a fitting closer for what's sure to be a queer country classic out on March 13.

• Jesse Blake Rundle guides us through a cosmic country tour of the apocalypse on his haunting song "Eyes." Rundle's voice is the primary instrument here, at times warning and at times transcendentally sweet – in spite of the song's weighty despair.

• On "Terminal Lovesick," indie pop chanteuse Rio Romeo brings us some serious lovesick blues. The song is cheeky and feels timeless in its effortless sense of humor and casually devastating grin. The song is a follow up to Romeo's EP Good Grief!

• This week's playlist won't let you off the hook – Joel Brogon examines his upbringing in evangelical churches...and the trauma. This is weightier than most of Brogon's previous work, and his honesty gives the song an earnestness that hits home like great country music always should.

Find our Tidal playlist here: