Fun and Introspection are rarely mentioned in the same breath unless you’re Kierkegaard or a psychopath. Or maybe if we’re discussing Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. Aqua Girl! pulls it off with “Doing Fine, Thx.” Does this mean Aqua Girl! is the next Brian Wilson? Uh, I don’t wanna go that far, but if Aqua Girl! ends up building a giant sandbox in her living room and putting a grand piano in the middle of it, just remember: you read it here first, folks.

“Doing Fine, Thx” is, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph (which, if you didn’t read it, please go back and do so because that’s some #10 music journalism up there), a fun pop song with a nice melody that doubles as the hook. The arrangement is sparse but effective: every song doesn’t have to be the Second Coming of Phil Spector.

This may be Underwear Music: a song written and recorded while sitting on a bed clad only in underwear following the unsatisfactory conclusion of a relationship. There’s nothing wrong with Underwear Music. The virtual pages of Reverb Raccoon are overflowing with Underwear Music. Some of my best friends are Underwear Music. The Beach Boys’ “In My Room” was first-order Underwear Music. But “Doing Fine, Thx” displays a great pop sensibility that sets it apart from the typical product of the genre. There is some good songwriting at work here.

“Doing Fine, Thx” is found on Aqua Girl!’s (OK, Aqua Girl!, that exclamation point is really fucking up my punctuation) soon-to-be-released fourteen-track album, Stereologue. I don’t know nothin’ about no Aqua Girl! She seems to have previously posted songs on Bandcamp under the names Dracula Facts and Rylin Valentine. I can attest to the quality of Stereologue, having heard an accidentally leaked version. It contains multiple songs which are Song Of The Day quality. This is an artist with the potential to Do Great Things. Or end up with a sandbox in her living room; who can say?

You can support deserving independent musicians like Aqua Girl! by visiting her Bandcamp page, listening to her music, and downloading your favorite tracks. And be sure to follow Aqua Girl! on Twitter. Buy her songs, and she may tweet out a Thank You.