Photo by Rachel Bennett; photo courtesy of Murmuration Music

Single Review of Alex Lahey: “Don’t Wanna Know” b/w “Rock & Roll Queen”

Alex Lahey is an Australian alt-rock singer-songwriter who has achieved some success in her home country – her three albums have peaked at 55 or higher on the Australian charts, with debut record I Love You Like a Brother reaching number 15. With that in mind, I’m not in Australia, so I hadn’t heard her music until I stumbled upon “Don’t Wanna Know,” which is so damn cool I just had to share it with you.

“Don’t Wanna Know”/”Rock & Roll Queen” cover art

“Don’t Wanna Know” is a catchy modern pop-rock, suggesting an artist who might share a double-bill with Jimmy Eat World. There’s an enthusiastic pop attitude, a clear pop-punk energy in the verses, and a hookily memorable delivery of the song’s chorus “Don’t wanna know, don’t wanna know, don’t wanna listen anymore.” There’s even a nifty pop-alt-rock breakdown serving as a late song bridge, where the instrumentation mostly pulls back, leaving just the drumbeat and, well, whatever the other instrument is that softly noodles its way through the bridge. Lahey’s vocals are pleasant, expressive, and varied, bringing energy to the song, with smooth edges befitting an artist who could reach a broad listenership, eschewing the edginess that can limit some alt-rock singers’ audience reach. And yeah, I like that song-closing guitar riff. A very alt-rock-live-show thing to do.

photo by Pooneh Ghana; photo courtesy of Murmuration Music

The “B side” of the single is a cover of The Subway’s “Rock & Roll Queen,” and while Lahey delivers this song in an edgier fashion than she deployed on the “A side,” it’s still a cleaner vocal more likely to appeal to a broader audience. In other words, since I like a little cleaner sound, I’d probably prefer this cover to the original, but it’s still a version that sticks true enough to the original that The Subway’s fans are likely to dig it, too. And, like the original, Lahey has a cool, distorted, rockin’ guitar solo in the late-song bridge. It’s a great number to pair with “Don’t Wanna Know,” offering up a fun, pop-alt-rockin’ two-fer.

The recording, available exclusively through Lahey’s bandcamp page, was released on March 30th to fundraise for a cool cause. All proceeds from the song’s release through the end of April were slated to be donated to Trans Lifeline, which, per the liner note, is “a grassroots hotline and non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis.”

Two cool songs for a good cause from a talented artist. If, like me, you hadn’t heard of Alex Lahey before, be sure to check her music out. Start with “Don’t Wanna Know” because if you’re at all inclined to like Alex’s style of music, it’ll be an instant favorite. And if it’s any indication of her songwriting talent – and that’s certainly what her accolades suggest – you (and I) are gonna like what we hear when we explore her back catalog. Of course, if you’re already an Alex Lahey fan but hadn’t known about this release, well, go check it out!