Buried Treasure, July 3

Keep For Cheap, Girlpuppy, Truly

By Annie Parnell, Editor

Hey everybody,

I’m still in the process of relocating all my stuff after moving out of my old apartment, and averaging about a couple Goodwill trips a week in an effort to clean out and start fresh. It’s been beautiful weather out here in the Blue Ridge — not too hot and not too cold, a balmy 68 degrees or so. I just bought a ridiculously tall pair of platforms for my first live show in more than a year, and in a minute, I’ve got plans to get outside and go rollerskating.

We’ve got some great stuff for you all this week. “Prairie rockers” Keep for Cheap, folk-influenced bedroom-pop act Girlpuppy, and dreamy twangy-pop artist Truly have all been putting out some great summer tunes, and I’m excited to share them all with you. I hope you’re all keeping cool and safe out there, and maybe even catching the last of the cicadas.

Stay hydrated,

Annie

“Losing” — Keep for Cheap

I’ve been following Keep for Cheap for a while now, and seeing their style grow since the release of their November single “Forgive Me” has been a treat. This cottagecore quintet describe themselves as aiming for “country catharsis,” a sentiment that’s vividly clear in their raw, emotional lyricism and twangy backing instrumentals. On “Losing,” they pair lush, Fleet Foxes-style vocal harmonies with fuzzy distorted guitars, climbing into a climactic cry that “the leaves on the trees point to something I’ve seen, and I can’t stop til I make you mine” before tapering off into a solitary plucking guitar and rebuilding all over again.

“As Much As I Can” — Girlpuppy

Atlanta-based Girlpuppy’s name has been bounced around in the same breath as acts like Soccer Mommy and Phoebe Bridgers, and her close friendship and artistic collaboration with Marshall Vore can certainly be seen in her indie, folk-influenced bedroom pop sound. In the music video for “As Much As I Can,” however, she stands on her own, walking through streets and meadows and ruminating on the complications of unconditional love. In one particularly dreamy sequence, she strolls through a field in a white Victorian nightgown, gently dragging a sword along behind her. “As Much As I Can” is Girlpuppy’s third single — after signing to Royal Mountain, she’s anticipating a tour with The Districts and a debut EP release in August.

“Billy” — Truly

“Billy, don’t you want to kiss me?” implores Josh Garcia over “Billy”’s acoustic guitars and gentle pop backing beats in this latest single from the LA-based performer, who began to create music under the name of Truly as a quarantine project. Described as having “the vibes of a winedrunk Venice Beach tarot reader,” this occult-influenced Nashville native explores the vibrancy of queer urban life alongside the nostalgia and displacement of leaving behind your hometown, something all too many country queers are familiar with. Dream-flecked “Billy” and its B-side “Love Story” are the latest releases to follow Truly’s tongue-in-cheek titled 2020 album Third Eye Shadow.

“Buried Treasure” is your weekly guide to under-the-radar queer artists in country, Americana, and folk. Know an artist who should be included? Contact us!