The music industry has always had a voyeuristic obsession with the "debutante." It is a word that conjures images of white dresses and polite presentation for the benefit of a room full of people who want to own you. Loviet takes that antiquated concept and grinds it into the dirt with her new EP. Having had the pleasure to meet with Loviet at RIOT Fest in Chicago, I was so excited to hear about this new drop and very much looking forward to sharing more about it.

The record is titled DEBUTANTE and it arrives with the kind of wall of sound that feels like a physical weight. Loviet produced this herself which is a detail that shouldn't be overlooked. The result is a sonic palette that sits somewhere between the polished cynicism of Garbage and the raw nerve of Hole. It is glitter and it is grunge and it does not care if you find it comfortable.

Tracks like "CHEERLEADER" and "STIFFY" are not just songs. They are tactical strikes against the male gaze and the exhausting stereotypes that come with being a woman with a microphone. On the title track she explores the heavy burden of expectation. It sounds like the early 2000s indie rock we all claimed to be too cool for but secretly worshipped. There is a ferocity in her loudspeaker choruses that demands a sing along while the lyrics are busy biting your head off.

She is spending her summer on the festival circuit that includes stops at SOMMO and the Halifax Jazz Festival where she will open for Broken Social Scene. It is the proper environment for this music and while they are the neighbors up north, it makes our team all want to go up and support. These songs belong in the heat and the wind where the grit of the production can breathe. Loviet is navigating a non-conformative path and she is doing it with an effortlessly cool demeanor that feels entirely earned.

If you have ever felt the pressure to live up to a version of yourself that someone else invented you will find a home here. Check out her new video below.