aaGoo

For her sophomore album—Goodbye World Hello Something—alt-rocker and guitar player extraordinaire Liz Hogg devised a rigorous songwriting routine, though you’d never know it listening to the 10 songs that compose the cycle, which will be released by Aagoo in November, with a pre-order link later this summer. Utilizing a slew of idiosyncratic rules, Hogg, a Brooklyn-born songwriter and classical guitarist, wrote these 10 lush tracks over 20 days between September and October 2024.

The results speak for themselves: the music is breezy and lived-in while the lyrics balance playful and existential in equal measure. Starting from 283 song snippets, which Hogg refers to as “kernels,” the artist methodically categorized these ideas before settling on 10 from a group titled “Acoustic Digital.” From there, Hogg set more rules in order to really focus on craft, one of which was that each song had to be written in two sessions. This way, as Hogg put it, “a purer message was transmitted.”

A quick overview of the tracklist reveals the authenticity imbued into these mellow indie-pop tunes. Goodbye World Hello Something kicks off with “Things I Said Before,” a funky upbeat opener replete with rainforest sound effects. Inspired by a meditative bike ride from the East Village to Queens, the song, immediately catchy, features a sing along chorus in which Hogg sings, “Don’t go wasting my time / I told you before.”

Second track, “Wonder When,” is an uptempo number with Strokes-like guitar interplay. Its two false endings mirror the chorus’s message of resilience, coming back and trying again to satisfactory results. Next,“On Paper” begins with soft shuffling drums of Daniel Siles over top which Hogg vocalizes on the word “I.” The second verse, featuring lyrics, spells out the longing the singer feels for something real, something that could be immortalized, as the title suggests, on paper.

“Belly” is where Hogg’s sense of humor shines brightest. An ode to a lover’s belly, the song is a real rocker. Track five, “Master & Commander,” the album’s centerpiece, is an earworm revolving around the heartache one feels when communication falls apart. “Irreversible” grows and stretches as Hogg’s upfront vocals speak to the fact that love leaves one vulnerable to an accretion of little hurts that can’t be undone. “Curl” is built upon a circular (curly?) guitar riff and contains one of the album’s many resplendent guitar solos.

“Round the Corner” is energetic and optimistic; “Instructions for the Physical World” begins with a menacing keyboard intro before veering into ontological rumination; and, finally, track 10, “One Thread,” ends the album on a slower note. Inspired by Wings’ “Silly Love Songs,” “One Thread” employs a three-part contrapuntal vocal technique similar to the one that ends Macca’s sendup to the softer side of songwriting. But “One Thread” isn’t the only time The Beatles’ influence seeps into this lovely project. Hogg’s decision to write each song in one or two sessions was inspired by John Lennon’s songwriting ethos whereas the sound of the record itself has the homegrown, organic feel of Paul and Linda McCartney’s Ram, an insular world of spectacular pop.

Hogg is an accomplished songwriter, and Goodbye World Hello Something attests to that feat through its intelligent and exciting set of songs. From the first notes of the album, my interest was piqued. And after only two listens, I found myself singing along as I put together this press release. Days later, “Master & Commander” is the song I keep coming back to. I would say, of all the standout tracks on this LP, it is my favorite. Its chorus proves that Hogg isn’t just witty (I love the wordplay), but that she also has a strong sense for catchy hooks. These earworms are clever, fun, and, most of all, inspired. You don’t want to miss them.

LP : $21.00 + Shipping costs