Old Realities

Karen Meat “Overdwelled”

“Overdwelled” is an unusual sort of breakup song: It’s not particularly sad or angry, and mostly fixates on humiliation and embarrassment. The lyrics are part cringe humor, part coping with failure and pain by finding a way to laugh at it. Karen Meat’s whole record is based on this sort of proud vulnerability and radical candor, but filtered through a wry and self-deprecating sense of humor. And while I’m typing out a lot of words that signal something deeper and darker, the main vibe of this music is fun. Arin Eaton’s voice has a playful drawl that adds an extra layer of charm to her immediately catchy melodies, and the arrangements are bright, bold, and ever-shifting. There are legitimately surprising turns in their songs. In the case of this one, it’s the faux-jazz lead piano part that comes out of nowhere to accent the second half of the fourth verse. It’s a great balance of strong pop craft and random “hey, what if we do this!!!” impulsiveness.

Buy it from Bandcamp.