gobbinjr debuts “afraid of me,” our first taste of her ocala wick LP

I really liked gobbinjr's last release, a short collection of silly, surreal pop songs from the fall of 2016. Now the passionately DIY song-maker (real name: Emma Jerk Witmer) has signed to Topshelf Records for a new full-length album, which is called ocala wick and comes out in June.

"I wrote 'afraid of me' as sort of a portrayal of a modern tragedy: trying to get closer to an intriguing acquaintance while simultaneously warding off unwanted attention," Witmer explained of the album's first single, debuting below. It's more of a straight-up indie rock song than the ones on vom night, but it still shows off Witmer's gift for pairing anxious first-person poetry with schoolyard-ready micro-melodies.

The song's action takes place at Shea Stadium, the long-running Brooklyn underground music venue where Witmer worked for a spell before it sadly re-located in 2017. It was partially recorded there, too. "Having recorded both the chatter and the live drums in that room makes me think of all the warmth and kindness I’ve experienced there," Witmer added, "even if the lyrical content doesn’t reflect that level of comfort." Listen below.