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Song Premiere: Adult Mom, 'Told Ya So'

Adult Mom.
Daniel Dorsa
/
Courtesy of the artist
Adult Mom.

Adult Mom's Steph Knipe says "Told Ya So" is a "happy queer" song, as "it's a song that acts as a space of self-validation." Adult Mom's music deals deeply and thoughtfully with queerness and identity, a directive made even more impressive by the upbeat, electronic-tinged folk pop the band — which is Knipe solo on recordings and a quartet live — uses to achieve it.

Knipe is from New York, yet has a distinctly Californian coastal slur at the edges of vocals, which lends an already relatable song the air of a relaxed conversation between friends. And that was Knipe's plan. "Told Ya So" is an encouraging note to self, in the same vein as Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine." Knipe's voice is soft yet bolstering, wrapped around lyrics gently and firmly positing that everyone deserves to feel heard and understood without shame. A song this low-key might not immediately sound like a manifesto. But when directed at people who might largely answer 'no,' the question "Has anyone ever felt you? Really felt you?" will always be revolutionary.

Adult Mom's debut full-length, Momentarily Lapse Of Happily, is available for pre-order here.

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