WHO IS SHE? Mattiel Brown, a Georgia-born indie singer-songwriter who toiled until recently as art designer for the mass-marketing email company Mailchimp.
WHAT IS THIS? Her sophomore collection of songs that brilliantly and boldly blur the line between garage-rock, blues-punk, indie-pop, rockabilly and roots-rock.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Four or five different rootsy, retro-minded basement bands fronted by a powerhouse vocalist somewhere between Wanda Jackson and Neko Case.
WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER TITLE FOR THIS ALBUM? Except Ion Al.
HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? At a house party where you don’t mind people moving your furniture to dance in the living room.
WHAT 10 WORDS DESCRIBE IT? Scrappy, raw, rugged, dynamic, immediate, earthy, retro, wiry, southern, reverb-soaked.
WHAT ARE THE BEST/WORST SONGS? The bluesy Moment of Death and Rescue You come out swinging; the rockabilly Blisters and the poppy Keep the Change show her stylistic range.
WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY? ‘Mattiel? She sounds French. Is she French?’ No, she is not.
HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO THIS? Once it hooks you — and it will — you’ll be back for more.
IF THIS ALBUM WERE A RESTAURANT, WHAT KIND OF RESTAURANT WOULD IT BE? Neo-Southern fusion.
SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL? You’ll want to buy what she’s selling.
