Laura Stevenson knows what it means to truly be punk, even if her music doesn’t outwardly reflect it. Stevenson, who’s an ex-member of beloved, fiercely-D.I.Y. New York collective Bomb the Music Industry!, has released three albums packed with eclectic pop songs that don’t fit the standard definition of punk but have nonetheless put her on tour with bands like Against Me! and the Gaslight Anthem.
Cocksure, Stevenson’s fourth L.P., is set to be released on October 30 on Don Giovanni Records (and produced by BtMI! head honcho Jeff Rosenstock), which she announced by debuting “Torch Song.” Influenced by everything from Liz Phair to Smoking Popes, “Torch Song” sees Stevenson embracing a much more polished power pop sound while still maintaining her wavering, emotive vocals.
However, given her track record, this song shouldn’t be taken as a concrete example of what Cocksure as a whole will sound like. Chances are it will bounce back and forth between pop rock, indie folk, indie pop and a hundred other interchangeable genre tags. After all, Laura Stevenson is above all else unpredictable, and that’s pretty punk.