Monday 5/3: Rosie Tucker—"Barbara Ann"
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent song by the L.A. singer-songwriter Rosie Tucker.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him), Eric Bennett (they/them), Michael Brooks (he/him) and Miranda Reinert (she/her). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. On Substack, we’re also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc. Three days of the week are free but you can get access to all five weekly posts by subscribing for $5/month via Substack or $2/month via our Patreon.
Today, we share our thoughts on a recent song by the L.A. singer-songwriter Rosie Tucker.
Rosie Tucker—"Barbara Ann"
Eric Bennett:
There’s a lot to like in this new Rosie Tucker song, but the thing that feels so obvious is its chorus. I haven’t seen many people discussing the Beach Boys nod contained within it, perhaps because it’s so obvious. I like the use of this sample though. It bolsters the song’s referential storytelling and feels like a useful addition. However, it’s the second half of the chorus that knocks you back.
Barbara Ann, don’t fuck around
With a Louisville Slugger under
Your side of the bed
No one’s gonna hurt you now
No one’s gonna hurt you
These are incredible lyrics full of visceral imagery, but it’s not just the writing that makes them work. It’s the delivery, the forceful whirr of the guitar flanking them. Rosie Tucker has written a lot of great songs, but few would I categorize as heavy, at least musically. This is the first time I’ve seen them lean into rough, fiery sounds, and it works on all counts.
Eli Enis:
Yeah this is one of the best Rosie Tucker songs I think. To Eric’s point, I honestly didn’t even think of the Beach Boys interpolation until they pointed it out. It’s obvious once you notice but Rosie isn’t using the same melody so it’s kind of hard to tell, which is cool in my opinion. I love the use of heavier, driving distortion on here and the little horn blasts in the background that take the energy to a level that Rosie didn’t really get to on their 2019 album. It’s an incredible opener that immediately reels you in to their world of clever poeticisms and quirky vocal inflections. It’s hard to imagine someone who likes indie-rock writ large being unimpressed by this.