With a name as brazen as its sound, on the new single from Heather Cook’s “Goth Scout,” we’ve got the stitched-on patch to the denim vest of indie pop proudly weird, effortlessly cool, and emotionally charged in all the right spots. And boldly playing up the space between electronic pop shimmer and indie-rock grit where she has always felt self-made, Cook remains in a lane all her own. “Goth Scout” is a welcome move forward in that revolution, a song that feels part youthful rebellion, part self-aware reflection. You can tell from the opening beat that you’re in for something new.
It beats with synth-laced conviction, but it’s out of its head and based in pure feeling and clever songwriting that doesn’t know how to try too hard to be intelligent. Cook’s performance is magnetic. She sings each line with a mix of irony and honesty that reads comfortably familiar, like she’s sharing a private joke with you that might also destroy your heart. There’s a kind of salute to embracing one’s inner outcast, no apologies necessary. This is the music for the unapologetically weird, the people who never quite belonged and stopped trying to. “Goth Scout” strikes the kind of sweet spot that fans of genre-blending are likely to appreciate, recalling the melodically propulsive storytelling of indie rock, albeit flavored with electronic textures that lend it a contemporary edge.
The production never upstages the emotion; it elevates it, gives it form, and causes it to linger. As a follow-up to her expanding discography, this track not only maintains the momentum but also propels it forward. Heather Cook is no longer demanding your attention, she is earning it with every hook, every beat, every purposeful microsecond of “Goth Scout.” This is Heather Cook at her best. And if “Goth Scout” is any indication of what’s in store, we’re completely prepared to follow her into the woods.