Remember how surprised we were when Maggie Rogers released Surrender? It put the world on notice that she was a high-energy pop/rock star, even though she had folky roots. The same is true for Rebecca Lappa’s addictive new single “Blue Lips”. It’s fascinating when someone with a folk background finds her Debbie Harry/Liz Phair groove.
Lappa hails from the Canadian city of Edmonton, where you can quickly get blue lips if you’re outdoors too long this time of year. The singer is a five-time nominee for the prestigious Canadian Folk Music Awards, but her new record is buoyant pop from beginning to end. It’s so hooky that I could listen to it until my ears turn blue while ice-fishing in Alberta.
Says Lappa: “Taking you into a world of frozen hearts and blinding snow, “Blue Lips” is a uniquely Canadian story about a friends-with-benefits relationship, combining heartache and excitement together like fire and ice. The winter imagery throughout the song brings forward the harsh realities of a situation where one partner is hoping the relationship will turn into more than it is.”
Lappa’s next EP, Tales of a Taurus, gets released in May, and it just might turbo-charge her pop career. I would definitely risk frostbite to hear more songs like “Blue Lips.”
Watch the video for “Blue Lips” below, or find it on the streamers.
“Blue Lips” is out on Tonic Records with the Tales of a Taurus EP to follow in May. Follow Rebecca Lappa on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
