A couple days ago I was finishing up a run through Alex Lahey’s great new record The Best Of Luck Club while waiting for a Lyft. Out of respect for the drivers, I usually take my earbuds out when I get in the car, but for some reason I left them in and when the last track from Lahey played, Spotify did their algorithm thing and pulled up a song by Angie McMahon. I’d never heard of her before, but as I listened-even with only one earbud in-I could tell it was something I wanted to hear.

The next morning I started my commute with “Play The Game” and ended up listening to all of Salt by the time I walked in the door at work. It’s a tough record, devoid of “bangers” but very much worth a listen. McMahon lays it all out there track after track, singing about the hardships of love and loss and picking up the pieces.

There’s a bit of a shudder in her voice as she sings, which gives the songs a great sense of vulnerability. Her raw emotions are in the driver’s seat and they’re headed straight to the heart of the matter. Often the simplest things are the hardest to say and Salt is a bedroom confession for all to hear.

The Melbourne native has been making music for quite a while now, but Salt is her official debut album. She’s opening for Hozier here in the States in November and playing a couple shows with Julia Jacklin in the UK. If you’re in Australia, you can catch her headlining her own solo shows starting with a home-towner on October 2nd.

I implore you to check out the album. It came out of nowhere and really surprised me. Salt was released in July and flew completely under my radar, so I hope this signal boost gets it noticed by a few more people. You can grab it here.