Ok Cowgirl Touches Upon A Wistful Introspective of Love and Intimacy in New Single “Her Eyes” and Upcoming Debut ‘Not My First Rodeo’
A LYRICAL ATTRIBUTE TO LOVE AND HUMAN EMOTION — Ok Cowgirl’s latest single, “Her Eyes,” is in its finest form. Addressing a topic that many of us can relate to but that we often fall short in trying to articulate, Ok Cowgirl instils an intimate connection between themselves and listeners alike with the true turbulence and beauty associated with love. The band showcases how we can relate to — and ultimately celebrate — the depths of our emotions. “Her Eyes” prompts us to dive into the depths of every emotion and provides a guiding narrative to help us navigate our way through our lifelong journey of love and loss.
The Brooklyn-based band, consisting of singer songwriter Leah Lavigne, Matt Birkenholz, Jase Hottenroth, and Jake Sabinsky, gives us a precious insight of the inspiration behind “Her Eyes.” Illustrated of a queer anthem, the song is driven by a longing for vulnerability and relatability for their listeners. Reflective of accompanying songs on the debut EP, Not My First Rodeo is etched with dreamy guitar synths, solidifying the wistful introspection at the core of Ok Cowgirl’s artistry.
Entering and indeed shaping the Brooklyn scene, for Ok Cowgirl, this is only the beginning. Read below to learn more about the inspiration behind Not My First Rodeo and the band’s upcoming shows celebrating their debut EP.
LUNA: You guys have been up to a lot lately with the release of “Her Eyes” — congrats! What has the journey for Ok Cowgirl been like so far, and how did you guys first enter the music industry?
LEAH: Yeah, we’ve been keeping busy! I had a solo project for years before I decided I wanted to start a rock band. Matt Birkenholz (our drummer) and I met in college and started playing gigs together way back then. After college, I started to get tired of writing songs on the piano, so Jase Hottenroth (our now bassist) lent me his guitar and we started writing music together. Through Jase, I met Jake Sabinsky (our lead guitarist), and I guess the rest is history. It took me years to find the right people, but everything really just came together in the summer of 2018. We started playing house shows and then bars and clubs around NYC. Right before the pandemic hit in 2020, we went into the studio with our friend and producer John Miller. We were only able to get two songs done before things got too crazy, so we released “Get Gone” and “Don’t Go” as singles last fall. This year we were stoked to get back into the studio and finally record our debut EP! We’re super excited to finally be sharing these songs!
LUNA: The narrative behind “Her Eyes” addresses a sentiment that a lot of people are usually too afraid to express out loud but can undoubtedly relate to. What was the inspiration behind the song, and to write about a topic so personal and intimate?
LEAH: “Her Eyes” is obviously about having a crush. Most often, I think about having a crush as this exciting and magical thing, but it can also be confusing and anxiety-provoking, and a catalyst for self reflection. This song is especially personal to me because it’s the first love song I ever wrote about another girl, and the fact that she was a girl had a lot to do with the doubt and hesitancy I was feeling. The song is about trying to talk myself out of my feelings before eventually surrendering to them. When I perform or hear “Her Eyes” these days, it can almost be a bit uncomfortable to remember and enact these thoughts and feelings knowing that they were so wrapped up in internalized homophobia and biphobia that I struggled with for years. On the other hand, falling for this girl felt completely euphoric, as the music hopefully conveys, and it’s amazing to get to bask in that feeling again. In the end, I’m just proud to be comfortable in my skin these days; grateful that I get to feel my feelings instead of fighting them, and (not gonna lie) excited for my next crush.
LUNA: How does “Her Eyes” reflect other upcoming tracks you have in store? Is there a specific theme prevalent throughout the tracks you are yet to release?
LEAH: “Her Eyes” is probably the dreamiest track off of our upcoming release. I really wanted to convey the magical transcendent feeling of having a crush with lush guitar tones, soft synths, and reverb-drenched vocals. However, there is an internal struggle that is hidden beneath the pretty sounds. The lyrics of “Her Eyes” convey self-reflection, doubt, and frustration; these are all themes that recur throughout the EP. I wrote these songs in my early 20s while struggling to navigate a lot of big questions about who I am and what I want out of life. Not My First Rodeo reflects this; there’s love and loss, regret and loneliness, and alienation and discovery.
LUNA: The use of the guitar — that is to say, the guitar riffs — in “Her Eyes” are incredibly powerful. Was there any particular reason that sonically the guitar has such an authoritative position on the track, and how does it drive the inspiration behind the sonic elements of your music?
LEAH: I think the guitar has an authoritative position on all of our tracks mostly because we are a rock band. That is one of our main tools for conveying emotions. I write all my songs from the inside out. I start with a feeling and I build the song around that; everything — the lyrics, the chord structure, the riffs — is all in service to the feeling I'm trying to convey. I love working with Jake because he’ll latch on to the feeling I'm expressing and lean over his pedal board like a mad scientist, twisting knobs until he finds the perfect way to translate it into a guitar part. We come up with our arrangements together, which seems more and more rare these days with the growing number of recording-based projects. But we like to get together with a six pack (or two) and just play the song over and over, coming up with ideas together and trying them out until eventually we all look at each other and go, “That was it.”
LUNA: How do you see your music progressing in the future? Are there any elements in particular that you would like to experiment with going forward?
LEAH: The more we’ve played together as a group, the more we’ve started exploring with noise. Our guitarist Jake is a wizard at getting his guitar to sound like the craziest thing you never knew a guitar could be. It’s something that I find really inspiring. It’s a fun way for us to add some grit to our sound. I think, naturally, I write songs that are very melodic and easy to listen to. So it’s nice to counteract that with something more abstract and challenging occasionally. There’s so much potential in juxtaposing pretty and gritty elements, ethereal and heavy moments; we’re enjoying exploring that.
LUNA: The release of “Her Eyes” is incredibly exciting, and with the upcoming release of Not My First Rodeo in December, clearly this is going to be a crazy couple of months for you guys. What can we expect from the debut EP, and are there any other upcoming projects you have for the year ahead?
LEAH: We are super excited to release Not My First Rodeo. We looked back at all the songs we’ve been playing live the past few years and picked our five favorites, but if you’ve been coming to our shows you know that we’ve got a lot more in store. We’re excited to get back into the studio in 2022 to start recording more of our material so we can share it with you all. Playing shows is really our favorite thing! We just love the energy that comes from getting to connect with people IRL. We’ll be celebrating the release of our EP at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Dec. 15, and we’re hoping to start playing out of town more in the new year. If you think we should come play your town, we’d love to hear from you! Send us a DM on Instagram!
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