Sucker's Lunch

2020 release. Oakland artist Madeline Kenney bounds toward the unknown on her third album, Sucker's Lunch, expanding on the idea of what a love song could be ' a little more cautious than exuberant, more nuanced than blazing devotion. Sonically, the album expands upon Kenney's guitar-driven sound ' a definitive step forward from an artist adept at communicating universal sentiments in a voice unmistakably her own. To help realize her vision, Kenney enlisted Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, previous collaborators and friends. Stack and Wasner's rhythm section trace circles around Kenney's off-kilter guitar, with verdant curls of synths, saxophone, and complex harmonies. Lambchop's Kurt Wagner lends his distinctive tenor to lead single 'Sucker.' Thematically, Sucker's Lunch sees Kenney soberly contrasting the risks and rewards of falling in love, eventually deciding to dive headfirst into her own foolishness and relish in the unknowing.