Photo by Fabian Marquez
Written by Jennifer Moglia
At first glance, Goof is the picture of everything that teenage girls want to be in 2021. Their cover art for their latest single, “All Scraped Up”, sees them sitting on a bean bag chair in front of cloud-covered wallpaper, pink and red hair brushed behind their shoulders.
She looks off into the distance with her glasses on her face and headphones on her ears, her pristine striped shirt and jean shorts contrasting the bandages littered throughout her skin and her muddied white Converse sneakers. Tattoos are sprinkled across their arms and red lipstick is at the forefront of their face; it’s clear that if music was an indie film, Goof would be the main character.
Natalie Taylor Carioti, the voice behind Goof, studied Musical Theatre in college and is now looking to make a name for herself on her own terms, on a mission to speak her truth and bring comfort to her listeners, making “Pop for the People.” From the first few notes of this song, their indie-pop sound and heavenly vocal delivery immediately draws listeners in.
Reminiscent of a more feminine, dreamy sounding version of The 1975 or LANY, the first verse includes lyrics about listening to music that makes you feel pretty and wanting to end up with the one that you love (“There’s a girl like me in every city in America / And I just want to be the one who ends up with you”). Goof describes this song as “80s coming-of-age”, and they certainly hit the nail on the head; I could see this song in the introduction of a classic teen movie like “Pretty in Pink” or “The Breakfast Club.”
These lyrics also explore emotional vulnerability and the guilt that comes along with being “too sensitive.” Carioti sings “I’m sorry I’m a little bit softer than you”, showing that she is feeling shame for simply feeling emotions, something far too many of us are familiar with.
If you’re looking for fewer modern comparisons, Goof’s latest single is also very obviously influenced by some of the greats like Whitney Houston and Cyndi Lauper, with emotional lyrics sung over a synth-pop beat. The chorus sees Carioti trying to deal with their own troubles, but not wanting anyone else to know about it, reflected in the upbeat instrumentals paired with the emotionally heavy lyrical content, describing themselves with the titular phrase of being “all scraped up.”
The bridge and final choruses of this track are definitely the highlight, including lines like “Are you working a day job up in Rhode Island? / Are you kissing her in Ottawa or crying alone?” among the most memorable. The specificity and details like city names do a great job of bringing the story to life, à la Taylor Swift or Lorde.
While I would recommend this song to just about anyone looking to cry and/or dance, I could definitely see fans of artists like Beach Bunny gravitating towards Goof. I always loved Beach Bunny vocalist Lili Trifilo for the way that she makes young girls see that they can move past their trauma and still feel beautiful, and Carioti gives me a lot of those same vibes, even just from hearing one single.
Goof’s first release of 2021 is a tearjerker of a dance floor anthem, and will be stuck in your head for weeks to come. If this is any indicator of what the future holds for Natalie Taylor Carioti, we can’t wait to see what they do next.
Photo by Fabian Marquez
“All Scraped Up” is available to stream wherever you listen to music, and you can keep up with Goof by following her on Twitter @SongsByGoof. Be sure to share your thoughts on the single with us by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!
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