Katy Goodman has been extremely busy this year. First, there was the Ryan Adams-produced La Sera album, Music For Listening To Music To which showcased a slightly new spin on the band's formula thanks to the more prominent role given to Katy Goodman's new husband, Todd Wisenbaker. Then, more recently, came the punk and new wave covers collection with Greta Morgan of Springtime Carnivore, somewhat favorably reviewed by me here. And now comes the new EP, Queens, out on Friday via Polyvinyl Records.
The EP has up 5 tracks, including 2 reworkings of tunes from Music For Listening To Music To (2016), 2 new songs, and a surprisingly tight Led Zeppelin cover ("Whole Lotta Love"). In "Queens", the band offers up a rollicking near-twangy burst of indie-pop that owes as much to Belle and Sebastian as it does to X. A fine cut, this number reveals that Katy's marriage to Todd may be the start of a whole new period of artistic fruitfulness for an artist who was pretty damn fruitful when single. "Magic In Your Eyes" is lyrical and reminiscent of the sort of thing found on earlier La Sera records only without so much fuzz or roaring guitars. "Shadow Of Your Love (Slight Return)" and "I Really Need An Angel" offer up variations on those fine Music For Listening To Music To cuts, while a robust cover of "Whole Lotta Love" closes out this release.
Essential for those you who, like me, are eagerly following La Sera's indie-pop trajectory, Queens is a fine release as the band bides its time before the next full-length record. You can follow La Sera and get details on their Autumn tour via the band's official Facebook page, or via the band's official website. Queens EP is out on Friday via Polyvinyl Records.
[Photo from band's Facebook page, uncredited]