Q&A: Lindsey Rose Black’s “Butcher” Cuts into the Heart of Love and Identity
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
LINDSEY ROSE BLACK IS A SONIC ALCHEMIST – blending the dust and drawl of Texas with the cutting edge of alt-pop and indie rock. Her music lives in the in-between—where pedal steel meets distortion, where fiddle melodies dance over electronic drum loops, where nostalgia and reinvention exist in the same breath. At the heart of it all is Black’s mesmerizing voice: smoky, smooth, and rich with the weight of lived experience. With each song, she creates an atmosphere that is both deeply personal and strikingly universal, exploring themes of faith, queer identity, and feminine resilience with poetic precision.
Raised in the shadow of the Fort Worth stockyards, Black discovered songwriting in her early teens as a sanctuary—an honest, uninhibited space to express herself freely.Country music’s raw storytelling spoke to her heart, but she refused to be confined by tradition. Instead, she created her own lane, one that honors her roots while pushing beyond them. As a queer woman, Black is fiercely committed to creating spaces where people feel safe, seen, and celebrated—whether that’s at her shows or within the intimate stories she tells through song.
Her latest single, “The Butcher,” encapsulates her ability to blend introspection with sonic allure. A slow-burning, sultry reflection on identity and transformation within relationships, the track captures the disillusionment of love built on the erasure of self.
“‘The Butcher’ is a sexy and introspective slow burn bop about the illusion of a love that’s built on a foundation of you becoming someone else,” Black says. “It’s a loose reflection on an ex who pushed me to change little things about myself while we were together—my hair color, the way I dressed, who I was. Admittedly, I was so blinded by the rose-colored obsession of wanting to be their fantasy that I didn’t have the perspective until years later to realize I was quite literally being cut away throughout the relationship.”
“Butcher” serves as a sneak peek into her highly anticipated debut album, The Myth of the American Cowboy, set for release later this year. The project embodies a bold feminine reclamation of the stereotypical cowboy, offering a fresh, empowering take on a traditionally rugged, male-dominated history.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
LINDSEY: That's a great question. I think growing up in Texas, I was definitely raised on both classic and 90s country. I love the sparse intention of lyrics from the greats like Johnny Cash and the deep thoughtfulness and how concise his storytelling is. I'm really inspired by that. I'm always striving to make things really, really simple and sharp. I grew up on The Chicks and Shania, so there's definitely that playful power girl country, mixed with old roots. More recently as a teen, I loved The Strokes and Bon Iver. What millennial tumblr girl didn't fall in love with Lana Del Rey and that kind of world?
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
LINDSEY: That's a lovely question. I think overarchingly, I would say just a place to feel so seen and shameless in who you are and what you're going through, and joy. Ultimately, I think that underneath even the sadder songs too, there's an acceptance and strength that I think comes through. Life is so messy, and I think being vulnerable and showing up for the mess and what comes out of it is what I hope all of these songs ultimately offer, and being able to dance within that space – whether you're raging, or you're cry dancing in your room
LUNA: You just released your single for “The Butcher” and I love how raw and introspective it feels. What is the inspiration behind the single and did any experiences inspire its creation?
LINDSEY: With my good friend John Velasquez, we wrote it together about two years ago, so it's just now coming out. We were both in moody, broody states. It was two February's ago, post-Valentine's Day feels and digging up questions around old relationships. And at the time, I was also watching the second season of the White Lotus, and I know there's some cheating elements in that story with Aubrey Plaza's character, and it reminded me so much of a handful of relationships that I've been in. There was one in particular where this person was gradually suggesting I cut my hair, change my hair color, or stop wearing certain outfits and try this instead. I ended up creeping through their Facebook albums and realized that they were slowly turning me into their ex. It was such a shocking realization to realize how much I had, lost myself and cut pieces of who I actually was away.
I think that's where the idea of the butcher came from. I was so obsessed with this person, and so willing to change for them. I totally lost myself in the process. I think it did feel like a piece of meat being gradually cut out and turned into this ultimate product of what they wanted. That's the deeper story behind that song. I leave it very intentionally ambiguous regarding the gender of this person. I identify as queer and have loved people all over the spectrum and I wanted that fluidity in the song. The music video is also left intentionally ambiguous. There's a very bisexual vibe happening in the video. As a woman that grew up in a pretty conservative part of Texas, that feels like a really important, empowering part of my art to own my queer identity and get to embody it in a way that felt really terrifying when I was growing up, and it feels so exciting to reclaim that now and then.
More broadly, I think that folds into my album, Myth of the American Cowboy, and it's coming out later this year and I'm so excited about it. It's definitely got some Chappell energy. It's country cunty vibes and has a fair amount of earthy Americana indie-rock. There's definitely some sick ass guitar solos with a bunch of pedals and lets me dance around on stage and have a bunch of fun with my Telecaster.
LUNA: “The Butcher” is accompanied by a music video. What is the inspiration behind the video and what was your experience filming it?
LINDSEY: I'm a DIY girl over here, so I shot it myself with my friends just using my iPhone. My friends, who are such a hot couple, Patrick and Izzy, were two stepping on their bed. It's so vivid and so pretty, and then it's cut with a lot of footage of me slowly and very hornily eating this piece of steak. You don't know which character she's lusting after,and trying to make peace with losing. My fucking my house smelled like meat for like three days afterward, trying to cook this giant ribeye. My cats loved it because I don't often cook steak. Izzy and Patrick were so down and so game as they're shuffling around on their bed, and I'm trying to shove my iPhone in between them. They are bordering on professional two steppers and are so amazing. It was really fun to take this more broodier vibe, but also weave so much campy humor into it, which I think as far as a vibe space, is also where I live. I strive to be a very earnest person, but I'm also pretty ridiculous.
LUNA: “The Butcher” is a sneak peek into your upcoming debut album The Myth of the American Cowboy. What is the inspiration behind the album and what themes and emotions do you explore?
LINDSEY: I think it really started with because I grew up queer in Texas at a time where it was not accepted – it's still obviously immensely challenging depending on where you are – I was really cut off for a long time from anything around Texas culturally or my upbringing that brought me joy. I think, over the past few years and with Saturn return, I was reevaluating priorities in my life. I was spending a lot more time here in Texas with my family, because I split my time between LA and Austin right now. I think it was impossible for me to stay bitter, because there're so many beautiful things about coming from the south and the influences of the music that I grew up on that I really loved, and I think hadn't given myself space to love and reclaim in this new way.
I think this album is that reckoning experience of seeing the beauty and where you come from, even if it's not perfect. Now, I don't feel so trapped and confined by it and really be able to really enjoy it and put my campy, queer, divine femme energy on top of it in a way that feels so exciting because there’s room for that too. I'm just as much from here as anybody else, and I'm allowed to claim these influences and experiences and put them in a new category. Myth of the American Cowboy, specifically, is a line that came from a book called Jesus and John Wayne, and it was just a fascinating historical take on the evolution of the idea of the American cowboy in America. That line was in there, and I immediately highlighted, circled and screamed. I think these songs ladder up to like this feminine reclamation of cowboy energy.
LUNA: What did the creative process look like? How did the songs evolve from the initial idea to its final version?
LINDSEY: As far as the tangible process with writing, I'm always saving notes on my phone. It would look so chaotic if someone was ever trying to make sense of any of the notes. I'm definitely a creature of collaboration, and so sitting with friends and maybe someone has a beat, and then finding a cold baseline over that. Then if there's a bass and some sort of beat or rhythm cooking, usually the magical mystery of that melody will appear. I love the leap of faith involved in anything creative. I don't know where the melodies come from, but I'm grateful that they do. I'll look at a phone note and see if I have a handful of words. But most of these songs, as far as the core vision of them and lyrics, come really quick, probably within 15 minutes. It's either going to work or it's not, and that's why it really does feel like this beautiful collaboration with the universe. I don't know where these come from, but I'm so fucking grateful that they choose me in this moment, and I have so much fun discovering these songs. I feel like some of these songs are healing for me too, and things that I never thought I would feel confident to say and claim and just feel so joyful now and excited to be in that place.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from The Myth of the American Cowboy and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
LINDSEY: The song that's coming out this summer as a single is called “Cunt Honey,” and the chorus is, “You can break a mare / Put a curse on Eve / Take a bite of the apple and blame it on me / See God in the flowers / But don't forget the weeds / No, you can't take the cunt honey out of country.”
I feel like that is such a sum up of what this album is like – you can't take the cunt honey out of country. That's probably my thesis statement for all of the art that I am now making. That one is my beloved baby, and that song came out of fucking thin air and that's why I think it is cosmic and magical. That feels so special and makes me feel so liberated. I can't wait to sing that on stages and have other people get to hear it. It's coming out during Pride.
LUNA: Faith, queer identity, and feminine power are central themes in your music. How do these themes manifest across the album?
LINDSEY: I grew up in a deeply conservative Christian household—private school, church, the whole thing. Like with other cultural influences from Texas, I distanced myself from faith and spirituality for years. I remember watching Eat, Pray, Love, where Elizabeth Gilbert says that every religious practice is man-made—centuries or even thousands of years ago, men cherry-picked what would become these traditions. And if that’s the case, then I’m just as entitled to shape my own beliefs. That idea really resonated with me. This album is my exploration of what faith means to me now. When these songs first started taking shape a few years ago, I was in the midst of a divine feminine-centered yoga teacher training. At the same time, I was going through my Saturn return, spending more time back in Texas, and immersing myself in this unapologetic, queer femme energy. All of those experiences collided into this project.
LUNA: As a queer artist working within and around country music traditions, do you feel like the genre is becoming more inclusive? Where do you see your place within it?
LINDSEY: I think that's a great question. I would say as a note, I think there's a lot of barriers in country music, but I also think barriers are meant to be broken. There are leaders that are pushing boundaries. Obviously, Chappell’s got a new song coming out that is very country-driven. Boy Genius, I think, has a lot of Americana country undertones. There's another amazing Austin band that I'm so excited for called next of kin. Seeing it locally too is really exciting. I think this is a space that queer women have not always been invited into. I think there's such a queer domination of across genres from the past two years, and it feels so exciting to see. Queer people have always been here making the best art, and it feels really cool that it's blossoming in a new way and getting credit in a new way.
LUNA: Did you take any creative risks or experiment more either lyrically, emotionally or sonically with The Myth of the American Cowboy since your Subterra EP?
LINDSEY: I think Subterra was the first thing I had ever put out as an artist. The impetus for that one was that I had lost my grandmother, who was just my best spirit, soul friend, and I needed a way to grieve that. In that process, I started to experience how I've always written songs for myself, but how much I enjoyed writing with other people and also sharing those songs. I think the confluence of all the things around Saturn Return and being home in Texas during peak COVID times, and embracing my identity more really allowed me to take lyrical and topic risks of things that I never really necessarily thought I would touch previously. Sonically, I love music all over the map. It was such a fun mix of listening to The Chicks and then also loving Jock Strap and they're so chaotic, or being so obsessed with the new Charli album and wanting to take pieces that make you move in your body and feel so good and have these amazing guitar riffs. This album is such an ode to joy and freedom as a southern queer woman. It all feels like a risk, but the most joyous leap.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with The Myth of the American Cowboy ?
LINDSEY: I'm so excited to get this set of songs out; “Whisk Miss,” “Wrong Side,” and “Butcher” are out and one more is coming out before “Cunt Honey,” and these four songs that are rolling out right now opened the door to all of the newer ones that follow after “Cunt Honey.” It was a peek into the twangier world. I think these songs serve as an invitation to what's coming, and later this year, I cannot wait for some of the newer singles to come out that are much more recent writing experiences. I have the most amazing live band that is so fun. It feels so incredible to stand up and play. I grew up where boys were the only people that did that and bands for girls weren't a thing. I feel so fucking out of my mind lucky that the most magical women have come into my life through pursuing music that are also such bad ass musicians. I can't wait to play a gazillion shows this summer and forward once I lock in how to play all these new songs for an updated set. I have so much sick merch coming out really soon with this local Austin artist that I collaborated with where it’s country, BDSM, sexy foods. I have a lot of great shit cooking.
