You Never Know...
Winter’s over, the playlist’s weird, and the women are running the show
Spring has officially arrived in my garden, and with it, a sense of renewal and possibility. Last week, I welcomed two cubic yards of rich, earthy compost into my driveway. Bucket by bucket, I spread it across my garden beds, the air buzzing with the sound of bees dancing in the plum tree above.
As I worked, delicate white petals drifted down like snow, a quiet reminder of nature’s rhythms and the beauty of the season. The light is returning, and with it, the promise of change. Shifts are on the horizon.
With this transition, the winter Portal Playlist is coming to a close. The next time you check in, we’ll be stepping into a brand-new season and quarter. To honor this moment—and in celebration of Women’s History Month—I’ve curated a handful of tracks from female artists who’ve been on heavy rotation for me lately.
Two are fresh releases, while the others are from women who’ve profoundly shaped my journey as a singer and songwriter over the past few years. These are the voices that have helped me find my own.
Someday, I’ll compile a massive playlist of all the female artists who’ve influenced me, but for now, consider this a little snapshot—a collection of tracks I’ve listened to obsessively for one reason or another. Two of the tracks have the same title: You Never Know - of course, they are totally diametrically different and isn’t that so fun to see? Maybe they’ll resonate with you, too.
Fieldress frontwoman, Sasha Reynolds, just dropped this new track from their upcoming album, set to release in June. It’s a peppy, buoyant, and irresistibly sweet tune—perfect for dancing out those secret love feelings. The track is layered with surf-inspired guitar riffs, spacey cosmic textures, and Sasha’s effervescent vocals that seem to float up and away like a daydream. It’s the kind of song that feels like sunshine and starlight all at once.
And here’s some exciting news: Sasha will be joining me next month for a video interview! We’ll be diving into songwriting, performing, and the creative process behind her music. Stay tuned for the premiere of the very first Little Door video interview—it’s going to be a good one.
This track was sent to me from Anna Hillburg’s PR rep from Florry’s upcoming album and I immediately fell in love. A fun rock song with dynamic vocals that again proves that female voices do not need to conform to “pretty” to be absolutely moving and fascinating. I love the repeating line at the end, “If I could turn back back time.” A sentiment I think many of us face in our lives, when we wish we could go back and fix a mistake rather than deal with the shame or guilt we have about how we handled a relationship or situation.
This track was the most played song on my list in 2023. It takes me places, lyrically I love everything about the little corners and vignettes she constructs, and the melodies and harmonies feel beyond overflowing, with odd production details like little yipping delays and drenched psychedelic layers that seems to fractal on and on. I love the line, “Well who hasn’t talked to God like he’s a man, I do it all the time on accident, Sometimes I talk to you that way and I am sorry, baby.”
Valerie June has been one of my personal expanders for years now, I wrote about seeing her live on the wovekind substack. She is a cosmic fairie. Again, a voice that is a bit oddball and unusual, not stereotypically “pretty” - if women are expected to mimic the harmony and restraint of a harp, she is much more like a horn, powerful and with a little abrasion. And because it is so intensely her, and because she gets so far behind her own message, it transforms anything that passes through her to an elevated form of beauty. “Astral Plane” has grown on me and changed as I’ve known her, she lets me know it’s possible to write about esoteric and aquarian topics without sounding like a granola bar on caravan with the Dead (no shade, that’s just not what I’m aiming for).
There was a time in my life when dancing to this song was a surefire way to get to a joy-tears. Oh wait, I just ran the experiment…. it still works. Not sure what’s in it, some code in the baseline, her raspy, gritty voice ringing out, “From time to time, from time to time, I go insane.” I don’t know dude. Trust. It’s good.
This track caught my attention purely as a songwriter. It starts with a clever, bass-driven groove that pulls you in, building momentum as it rolls into the chorus: “You’re one of the good ones, you’re one of the good ones.” At first, it feels like a straightforward love song, but then—bam—it pivots into eerie, almost sarcastic territory with the line, “Good for you.”
The first time I heard it, I nearly yelled out loud in my car. Holy shit, I thought. How many times have I, as a woman, been fed that line—“I’m one of the good ones”—by a man trying create distance from the structures of the patriarchy as if he is not a part of it? The way this song captures that dynamic is nothing short of brilliant. It’s sharp, unexpected, and so damn relatable.
This song. My god, it’s drippy in nostalgia. It takes me back to “My Lips are Sealed” by the Go-Gos, or “If She Knew What She Wants” by the Bangles… it has that particular girl band peppiness that makes you want to just float away. I listened to this song OB-SESS-IVE-LY.
This past weekend I had the entire Spectra album on in the kitchen with my two daughters drawing, and I realized Jenny O. has managed something very cool. She has made music that I actually want my daughters to hear and absorb into their psyches.
Think: most music written by young women is entirely focused on romantic pursuits and is about external validation, Jenny O. created an album about internal happiness and unconditional love and connection without (again) sounding like a granola bar.
Subliminal messages get through to us in song normalizing bad behavior in romance and self-image, I grew up with songs like Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” “Cold-Hearted” and “Opposite's Attract.” Let’s just say, if you need to write a whole dang song about someone treating you like garbage, that’s probably your answer: he thinks you’re garbage and you do too.
It’s pretty revolutionary to grow up with someone singing to you “Pleasure in Function” or “You are Loved Eternally” or “What My Love Can Do”. Thank’s Jenny O. for offering my girls a calm, loving place to rest their hearts and grow up with messages that they are well loved where it matters most: by the universe. That it is cool to love themselves and that their love is a precious gift.
Elsa was my first vocal coach back in Oakland, and honestly, I could write an entire essay about the life-changing, fractal-like friendship that formed between us and how she transformed my life forever. But for now, let’s talk about this track—one of my absolute favorites (though it’s hard to choose just one).
I love cranking this one up loud. It’s a bachata fusion rhythm that feels like a hot summer night—sensual, alive, and impossible to sit still to. The lyrics are beautiful, in both Spanish and translated to English: I don’t many love songs that incorporate the word ‘meat’ but she does and it works.
Wye Oak has been a longtime favorite of mine. Their music is dark, moody, and layered with complexity, anchored by Jenn Wasner’s velvety voice that glides effortlessly over that brooding intensity. There’s something magnetic about the way they balance raw power with emotional depth.
I love it when women write songs like this—loud, driving, and a little unnerving, yet threaded with an undercurrent of tenderness. It’s that duality that pulls me in every time: the strength and the vulnerability, the chaos and the calm. Wye Oak does it masterfully.
This is just a beautiful love song. If you are wondering if it’s a good idea to fall in love, take the risk, leap into the abyss, this song is a great companion for that terrifying quest. Great video too.
Whatcha waiting for babes? The Portal awaits….
I put together a link-list: use this master button to find your preferred platform for listening, ranked from best to worst based on how they treat artists and the quality of their audio.
Little Door In the Spring 🌸
Alright, pals—winter is down for the count! Writing here on Substack over the past few months has been a beautiful experiment. Each week, I’ve loved putting together my little offering.
The research is fascinating, the new artists I’m discovering are so friggin’ good, and I’ve got more live shows on my schedule than ever before. It feels like the world is opening up to me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
My own songwriting is thriving, I’m meeting incredible new people, I’m recording new tracks, attending open mic regularly and just feeling alive.
That said, I’m still experimenting here on Substack, still figuring out how to make this really fucking good for you, too. Translating this psychedelic magic carpet ride I’m on into a weekly column that uplifts your life like a little micro-dose, that’s what I’m aiming for. But it seems to be a slow learning curve, a slow burn.
And thank you to the folks who have been commenting, liking and showing love, it really does help to know what’s hitting and what’s not.
Soon we’ll open up Portal Playlist 002 and kick off a whole new season of tracks, discoveries, and weird little wonders - including some interviews with artists and other music-obsessed.
I’ll be seeing you through the portal 🌀
Little Door
Your portal playlist is on my regular rotation - can't wait for the spring edition!
Also really love that you took the time to rank order music platforms based on how they treat artists and the quality of their audio. I'd like to get free from the chokehold Spotify has on me, but to be honest, it feels very overwhelming to transfer to a new service.
Kateeee this is amazing and I loved reading this 💓 spreading and sharing the love of music and art and women out there kicking ass! Amazing. Thank you for this and thank you for the beautiful description of “You Never Know”. I’m so grateful and honored ✨ keep shinin’ mama! Can’t wait to listen to the playlist ◡̈