Howdy, Cherry - “Cool”

Austin-based Caroline Lazar, aka Howdy, Cherry, has caught our ear with her latest release, “Cool,” an ode to her Brooklyn origins. Lazar describes her music as “A lil bit of sad girl folk, and a lil psycho girl indie,” but the melody that we’ve found here is truly delightful– listeners will pick up on it the moment that the song begins, delivered early on via some fuzzy guitar.

Lazar seems to be vibing ever so gloriously with late ‘90s Liz Phair, which is another reason we felt that “Cool” belonged on our blog. It manages to encompass that nostalgic energy that we find ourselves seeking while sifting through the stack of submissions, but it also remains completely modern through its channeling of some Phoebe Bridgers energy, especially vocally. One of our favorite aspects about this song is that it sounds good without also sounding like it was chewed up and spit out by major label production. It’s DIY-ness is very endearing, causing every word that Lazar sings to be completely believable.

If you pay attention to the blog, you may have noticed that we tend to feature the mellow end of the musical ocean, often populated by offerings of indie folk, and though Howdy, Cherry’s track comes dangerously close to being classified as indie rock, that gentle wave towards which we so often find ourselves paddling remains intact inside of “Cool.” It is soothing, it is nostalgic, and it is, indeed, very ‘cool’.

-TM