Ears Wide Open: Career Woman

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Career Woman (Photo by 0752am)

Career Woman is the nom de tune of 18-year-old Los Angeles native Melody Caudill, who began releasing music when she was 13 and has a pair of EPs (“Thirteen” and “Teacher’s Pet”) and a handful of singles to her credit. Her style is akin to artists such as Frankie Cosmos, Soccer Mommy, Phoebe Bridgers and Snail Mail, filled with youthful wonder and charm. Caudill is a constant song-generator, and has racked up thousands of voice-memo entries just waiting to be put into song.

The latest two Career Woman singles, “Unfun” and “Sleep In,” find Caudill teaming with Logan Hammon and Jackson Felton of the Bay Area band Small Crush. Both songs, like her EPs, are out via Lauren Records, with “Unfun” arriving this week.

“Sleep In” was inspired by Caudill’s time in quarantine, where she spent most of her time reflecting in her bedroom. The fuzzed out guitars and harmonies supported by Harmon make for a sweet, reflective song. “Is it wrong to wish that I was still asleep / when I’ve got so much going for me?” Caudill and Hammon sing together, sharing their vulnerability and questioning their place in the world during their young careers.

“Unfun” is a track just about anyone can relate to, which features heavily pronounced lyrics, fuzzy strummed guitars and a driving rhythm that kicks the song into gear. “I feel so unfun / I won’t even smoke a blunt / the last time I went to party / I sat in the kitchen and re-arranged the pantry,” Caudill sings at the start of the song, which she wrote while at a child’s birthday party, setting the tone of insecurity for the rest of the track.

“This is probably my favorite song I’ve ever written because it’s the most honest and I got to record it with members of Small Crush, a band that I really admire as a musician,” Caudill says.

||| Stream: “Sleep In” and “Unfun”

||| Also: Stream “Not a Betty” and “Headaches”