Kevin Bronson on February 21st, 2018

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Music is but one medium for the messages of Amy Raasch, a singer, songwriter, actor, monologuist, videographer, multimedia installation artist and all-around provocateur. Her new album “Girls Get Cold,” out Friday, tackles an array of personal and societal foibles, some as deadly serious as sexuality and faith, some as vacuous as cat videos. Her pointed missives come via playful and often ramshackle folk- and electro-pop. Produced by David Poe, much of the new album was recorded in her Venice Beach apartment using shopworn instruments and capturing sounds like hitting a radiator with a belt of nails.

Following the puckish “Kitty Decides” video (proceeds from which go to animal rescue agencies) and the award-winning “Cat Bird Coyote” (an animated short for the track “Breathe My Breath”), the new single “Straight Boys” is a playful if plaintive rumination on guy stuff. Or “toxic masculinity,” if you prefer. Accented by French horn from Louis Schwadron and drums by Victor Indrizzo, the song was actually written pre-#MeToo, when matters of gender politics were merely simmering and not boiling over. “Now,” Raasch says, “We’re in an unprecedented moment, where men and women alike have a unique opportunity to re-examine entrenched assumptions about how we relate to each other, and make a change. I’m excited to be part of the cultural reset.”

“Straight Boys” adds a stylish, understated voice to the conversation. With a French horn and a wink.

||| Stream: “Straight Boys”

||| Also: Watch the videos for “Cat Bird Coyote” and “Kitty Decides”