In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, I want to talk about two women whose voices have been loved and heard by many: Janis Joplin and Aretha…
Hop Along is a part of the conversation. This past year saw the takeover of indie by women, and Frances Quinlan is another prime example of this. Her band’s most recent release, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, has consistently ranked across many major music publications’ best of 2018 lists, including the likes of NPR, Billboard, and Rolling Stone. Rightfully so, as the group’s third record is their most powerful yet. Quinlan’s unique style of world-building storytelling shifts to the forefront on this album, a necessary move given the extent and consequent of the issues she works hard to tackle and contextualize here. The line ‘strange to be shaped by such strange men’ appears on multiple tracks and is repeated like a mantra across the record, a tactic that is intentionally unavoidable and jarring (especially when put to words by Quinlan’s hair-raising voice). This powerful motif unites the project around a common theme of social reflection and reconciliation— one that is about as 2018 as you can get.
Sophie Allison, also known as Soccer Mommy, has emerged as an intensely creative and moving female artist in the last few years. At only 21 years old, Soccer Mommy is already extremely accomplished: since 2016, she has released three albums including her debut album proper, Clean. Clean is a massive critical success and is cited as one of the best albums of 2018 by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, and Noisey, among others.
Women are more visible in today’s music scene than ever before and one thing is absolutely clear – they’re crushing it. From noname to Snail Mail, women have continued to release incredible, innovative music that demands attention. Beyond that, women are emerging as powerful music executives, leading the industry from behind the scenes. Using their shared experiences as a basis for understanding, women in music are empowering each other and thriving as a result.