Girlpuppy

The Atlanta-based singer and songwriter Becca Harvey’s lyrics are filled with an undisguised sentimentality and witty self-effacement, a mix that’s garnered quick acclaim for her project, girlpuppy. Since girlpuppy’s debut in 2020, Harvey has applied her emotional and vocal versatility to whatever genre she sees most fit to explore. First came the lo-fi guitar pop of introductory single “For You”; next, the self-described “sad girl” indie of 2021’s Swan EP, a collaboration with producer Marshall Vore (Phoebe Bridgers, Ada Lea) that drew praise from the likes of NPR and Nylon; in 2022 “I Miss When I Smelled Like You,” girlpuppy’s foray into ’70s-indebted arena pop, saw her team up with Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Claud) on a breezily yearning break up jam. Harvey has deep gratitude for her career recording and touring — including with some of her favorite artists, The Districts and Matt Maltese. But it’s not always light work parsing through the feelings that lead to heavy-hitting songwriting. “It’s hard to relive something bad that’s happened to you, and write it in a way that sounds beautiful and clever,” Harvey admits. “You want to write about it in a way that no one’s ever heard of before.” This strive for self-betterment is at the core of her 2022 full length debut, When I’m Alone, a record which centers Harvey’s dreamy vocals in intricate soundscapes, all while confronting the introspective thoughts she’s experienced in isolation. Recorded with Alex G guitarist Sam Acchione (who’s production work Harvey admired on Tomberlin’s Projections EP), engineered and mixed by Henry Stoehr of the Chicago band Slow Pulp, and combining influences as diverse as My Bloody Valentine, Caroline Polacheck, and the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, When I’m Alone is her biggest, deepest, most complete project to date.