Lily McKown’s “Metal in the Outlet” channels childhood frustration

As local indie folk artist Lily McKown gears up for the release of her debut LP Backseat Driver next month, she released a new single off of that upcoming record. “Metal in the Outlet” is a dark indie track about the pain one goes through to prove their worth.

McKown says on Instagram, “I wrote this song about growing up with boys. I was the only girl on most of my sports teams so I’ve seen some wild stuff. I really did put metal in the outlet once and because of it I have a huge fear of taking showers during thunderstorms and toasters.”

“Metal in the Outlet” carries threads of acoustic grunge in its low chord hits and McKown’s disaffected, bitter vocals on lines like “Build a LEGO city just to knock it down / When he says the girl character sucks / But she’s pretty when she shuts her mouth.” The song is coming-of-age encapsulated for young women who spent their formative years trying to show their supposed toughness to those who will never appreciate it.

Listen to “Metal in the Outlet” below.