There’s nothing quite like a strong opening line to kick off an album, and on “High School”, the first song on Katy Pinke’s second record, Strange Behavior, she doesn’t disappoint. “Giving you head on the bed, I wanted to know / What was my crime and why I was broke / Being my first time, I thought you might show me something.” The low-key musical swagger of the track manages to mask what seems to be a deep, traumatic memory for the multitalented Pinke, an artist not afraid to bear her soul and confront hard truths.
Arriving on the heels of her self-titled 2024 debut, Strange Behavior sees Pinke continuing to match clever, often disarming words with a musical style that seems to embrace pop and folk but always keeps a healthy dose of odd, experimental touches handy – like pop music beamed in from a not-so-distant planet. While fans of Pinke’s debut LP will likely find plenty to love on Strange Behavior, she’s expanded her sound considerably, a natural transition in her artistic growth.
The most apparent shift here is broader, fuller arrangements; the first album consisted almost entirely of vocals, guitar, and muted drumming (the latter courtesy of Jeremy Gustin), giving the songs an intimate, almost “demo” feel. Here, she entertains more of a “complete” band sound on many of the tracks, thanks to return participation from Gustin, as well as Will Graefe on guitar, Nico Osborne and Stephen Becker on bass, and Philip Harkins and Trixie Whitley on keyboards (Pinke herself contributes guitar and keyboards).
Her sometimes deceptively playful style is fully displayed in the first single, “Oranges”, a shuffling, melodic folk gem. Reviewers are quick to point out comparisons to contemporary artists like Aldous Harding and Julia Holter. However, she comes off more like Suzanne Vega‘s oddball niece on this track and elsewhere, weaving folky textures and wistful arrangements into often puzzling, beguiling lyrics. “High up on the alien level of my dreams,” she sings, accompanied by a bouncy shuffle. “This morning you were forgiven / No, not completely forgiven.” The song also growls with synths and effects, underscoring the colorful, mysterious world Pinke’s music so completely occupies.
The full band never discourage moments of gentle contemplation. “Robot Blues” is a spacey ballad with acoustic guitar and bits of atonal piano covered in a swath of echoey production. Accompanied only by her piano playing, Pinke enters a sparse, vulnerable environment with the fractured beauty of “Not What I Thought”, employing a sound so intimate that listening to it almost seems like an intrusive act. The album’s one cover song is Blossom Dearie’s “You Are There”, sung with exquisite tenderness and Graefe on guitar.
On the brilliant title track, Pinke splits the difference between intimacy and full-on strangeness, as the mid-tempo folk is tempered with lo-fi touches and bits of distant effects. At its heart, the song is a delicious earworm as Pinke wraps her vocals around the hooks and melodies, even as the track descends into a bit of low-key madness. “Exhibiting strange behavior / I wonder why,” she sings over and over at the conclusion, finally belting out the final line: “Can you guess / Try,” in her glorious soprano, sounding like Joni Mitchell in an outer space cabaret club.
One of the most lovable aspects of Katy Pinke’s songs is that they are firmly rooted in engaging pop songcraft but often take wild stylistic turns, resulting in a thrilling combination of experimental pop and unique, jazzy detours. Strange Behavior may be occasionally strange – but it’s always a thrilling journey into the mind of a songwriter and musician who is delightfully restless.