Rainbow Ruckus 3/3: Cat Clyde, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Andrew Mitch, and More!
This week's Rainbow Ruckus features takedowns of the patriarchy, sexy protests against extractive capitalism, confronting mortality, and two devastating breakup songs. It's country music, after all!
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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- Cat Clyde takes on a "Man's World" with her excoriating rocker. The song takes on the everyday indignities of patriarchy with just the right amount of simmering rage and contempt. Chef's kiss – and an exciting preview of her album Mud Blood Bone out on March 13th. (We also just wrote about Clyde and her collaboration with Boy Golden.)
- Aaron Lee Tasjan can seemingly make any subject seem fun and sexy. In this case, it's the dangers of extractive capitalism. "Science Friction" finds our narrator bubbling with the litany of dehumanizing acts in the name of progress – all while keeping a dangerous cool.
- On "Baggage," Andrew Mitch brings the '90s country heartache. The song showcases Mitch's supple voice transforms his heartbreak into all of ours, mournful while loving, nostalgic while tortured. The big background vocals call to mind classic '90s country, making this ballad a timeless one.
- Clayton Chaney gifts us with some sound advice on "Can't Turn It Back." Chaney, a former member of formative Americana band the Show Ponies, proves why his songwriting is so enduring here. Invoking freight trains, regret, and mortality, "Can't Turn It Back" is a gentle reminder to take stock of the present before it becomes the past.
- Bobby Dove gifts us an exquisite breakup song on "Leaving Manitoba." Even with tear-stained eyes, Dove celebrates what made this love special as the wheels crunch down the road. Dove's talent lies in his ability to evoke vivid imagery amidst stark emotions.
Find our Tidal playlist here:
