To celebrate the two-year anniversary of their debut album at the end of the summer, Brooklyn outfit Ok Cowgirl will actually be drawing attention away from 2024’s Couldn’t Save Us From My Gut with a brand new LP titled Rhinestone Cowgirl. Arriving August 21 via their longtime label Easy Does It Records, the project led by Leah Lavigne will be re-teaming with producer Alex Farrar to further hone their balance of bar-band indie rock and saloon-set country twang across 10 new songs.
The first of these new recordings arrives today: “Prepared to Lose” plays like the type of Carolina-set rock music Wednesday has been blazing new trails within, only with catchier hooks in lieu of heavy feedback. The lyrics, meanwhile, may appear apathetic at first, though Lavigne points out that the title is a bit of a misdirection. “[The phrase] ‘I’m prepared to lose’ came from a place of stoicism and not pessimism, but I knew it could easily be misinterpreted and that made me uncomfortable,” she explains, noting that one of her goals with these songs was to become less concerned with how the music will be perceived. “Trying to be so careful and controlling is limiting; embracing this line has been empowering for me from an artistic standpoint in addition to the message being one of empowerment.”
She also notes that the song’s original title was taken from its opening line—“No life’s just good or bad”—in an attempt to stave off misinterpretation. “This is a song about how everyone has ups and downs and faces hardship—a sentiment that keeps me grounded when things are good, and has kept me from falling into deep despair and self-pity when things are bad,” she continues. “I wrote this song while two people very close to me were dealing with difficult times, and I think it was easier to have this balanced perspective since I was writing it as an onlooker. It was meant to be a message of hope, empathy, and solidarity.”
Check out the divebar-set music video for the new track below, which was directed by Evan Murray, as well as a teaser for the full album. You can also pre-order the record here.
