For the uninitiated, Brooklyn-via-Oakland songwriter Ivy Knight has made a name for herself over the past few years with two EPs of haunting, Grouper-esque indie-folk that also tap into the realm of ambient pop as defined by frequent collaborator Deer Park. Today she announced that her debut full length Iron Mountain will arrive this spring, with Knight and Deer Park collaborating on a set of nine songs that span the distance from Appalachian folk to the type of surrealist Zoomer alt-pop music that blends vocal modulation with its synth melodies—and that’s all just in the record’s first two songs.
Album opener “Headlamp” dropped today alongside the news, capturing the former end of that sonic spectrum with prominent banjo accompanying Knight’s soft vocals alongside an acoustic guitar. Yet as the playlist she compiled for us outlining some of the music she had on repeat as the album came together proves, her well of inspiration for Iron Mountain ran deep. Citing her contemporaries in folk-pop and avant-garde indie such as Natalie Bergman and ML Buch, respectively, she additionally shouts out the scrappy early travelogues of Modest Mouse and the empowered balladry of Cat Power. Also, obviously, Nina Simone’s ability to elicit a swell of emotion by merely singing the words in front of her.
Before the album drops on May 15 via Scenic Route, check out Ivy Knight’s full list of influences below. You can pre-save the record here, and catch her on tour with Mark William Lewis in the days following the album release at the dates listed here.
Marty Robbins, “The Bend in the River”
Maybe my favorite Marty Robbins song. It’s like a painting.
San Amidon, “Cusseta”
I had a hard time choosing just one song off of Salt River, Amidon’s 2025 album. His cover of Lou Reed’s “Big Sky” was a close second, but “Cusseta” wins by being from the sacred harp. The album manages to be totally inventive and new despite being mostly covers.
Natalie Bergman, “Talk to the Lord”
Unreal song, unreal album!
Nina Simone, “Take My Hand Precious Lord”
Every time Nina Simone covers a song she reveals new layers of emotion literally just by, like…singing the song.
Kate Wolf, “Here in California”
My favorite song about California. “There’s no gold, I thought I’d warn ya / And the hills turn brown in the summertime.”
Cat Power, “Good Woman”
Best Cat Power song?
ML Buch, “I Feel Like Giving You Things”
This song and album are, like, upsettingly good. I think we will look back on ML Buch as one of the seminal musicians of the 2020s.
Modest Mouse, “Bankrupt on Selling”
Modest Mouse is the greatest band of all time. Isaac Brock is the greatest lyricist of all time.
Chris Isaak, “Blue Spanish Sky”
“I knew the words but I sang them wrong…”
Elton Britt, “Cowpoke”
I love this song; it makes me feel like I’m eating beans by a makeshift fire.
Orville Peck, “Daytona Sand”
This one makes me feel like I’m running really fast.
