The Boot’s Weekly Picks: Paul Cauthen, Abigail Lapell and More

The groovy, outrageously catchy “High Heels” is the latest track from Paul Cauthen‘s upcoming record Country Coming Down, due out April 1. With a vibe that feels like a sharp, modern nod to Conway Twitty, the Texas singer-songwriter serves up the perfect soundtrack to a night out on the town — or a trip down to the local honky tonk.  – Lorie Liebig

Pete Mancini‘s new single “Madison Avenue Blues” pages 1970s power pop for a scathing critique of late-stage capitalism. The song, which is the second single off his upcoming album Killing The Old Ways, portends more thoughtful social critique from Mancini. In other words, if Big Star had tried their hand at political music, they’d land somewhere around “Madison Avenue Blues.” Mancini throws in his own suburban ennui for a song that is catchy as hell and haunting. – Rachel Cholst

Canadian folk artist Abigail Lapell excels at weaving gorgeous sonic tapestries. Her rhythms are organic, the pulse of a heartbeat, the eddies of the ocean surf where sand and water meet. “Ships” is hypnotic and tightly contained, building tension as two opposing forces attempt to reconcile. – Rachel Cholst

Ron Pope has a knack for rowdy music, but that’s not what’s happening on “Like, Cheat, and Steal.” Over the course of the pandemic, Pope forced confinement at home while his young daughter grew into a toddler has added depth and introspection to his music. The ballad is achingly tender, a song for a relationship that is probably not going to work out, but one that’s worth sticking with until the end. The video depicts a closeup of artist Ireland Walsh completing a mixed media painting that ultimately exemplifies the song. – Rachel Cholst

Having conquered punk with his album Pity Boy, which explored his transition, Mal Blum is turning his attention to country music. The new single off his forthcoming EP, “Aint It Nice” paints a sardonic picture of desperation and self-pity. “Stockpiled Guns & TV Dinners” reflects how paranoid isolation is destroying us — though it’s up to the listener to wonder if the prepper paraphernelia in the song is literal or metaphorical. – Rachel Cholst

“Little Fire,” the title track from singer-songwriter Ella Sera’s new EP, sounds like an artist coming into herself. The song, which marries pop and rock sensibilities, finds Sera holding strong in the face of hardship. “Riding out the storm with a fury / Waiting at the horizon’s edge / With just a little fire in my head,” Sera sings resolutely in the chorus. – Will Groff

New Yorker (as in the magazine) cartoonist David Heatley headed down to the Big Easy to record his debut solo album Life Our Own Way. Known for his intensely intimate and painful depictions of his struggles with addiction, the title track ”Life Our Own Way” serves as a foil to Heatley’s previous body of work. The song, with a video animated by Heatley, is jaunty — a new wave song that can’t help observing the funky kick of New Orleans. Enlisting New Orleans legends like Michael Cerveris and Lilli Lewis for the album, it’s no surprise that Life Our Own Way is injused with funk and joy. – Rachel Cholst

Legendary Mexican rock outfit Maná has teamed up with regional Mexican music superstar Christian Nodal to deliver two new versions of “Te Lloré Un Río,” (“I Cried You a River”) a spiteful cut off the band’s iconic 1992 album, ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños?. The “mariacheño” version provides a thrilling mix of stylistic elements, with Nodal and Maná lead singer Fher Olvera each supplying vocal firepower befitting the melodrama of the lyrics. – Will Groff

Big throwback soul vibes from the New Orleans quartet, this one offers a nod to Stevie Wonder by name. It comes from their forthcoming third album Red Balloon. Frontwoman Terriona Ball says, “‘Stolen Fruit’ is basically about the slave trade. There’s ‘Strange Fruit,’ and I call this one ‘Stolen Fruit,’ because not only were the fruit strange but they were stolen. They weren’t from here.” —Blake Ells