Insider Beat: Ok Cowgirl riding high with debut album, 'Couldn't Save Us From My Gut'

To those who've never picked up an instrument, the life of a musician might seem effortless — through the lens of social media, it's a whirlwind of high-end club parties, world tours and devoted fans, all wrapped in constant thrills and excitement.

But what's often overlooked is the long journey a band or solo artist undertakes to perfect their craft and carve out a unique, idiosyncratic sound. At some point, they all face the crucial question — how will they stand out among the countless other acts competing for radio play and Spotify streams?

For the Brooklyn-based band Ok Cowgirl, this process, while challenging, can also be incredibly rewarding and fun. As they continue to grow their audience, they forge ahead with their debut album, "Couldn't Save Us From My Gut," a breezy, 10-song collection that spans rock, pop, alternative country and indie, including an anthem dedicated to "Seinfeld" creator Larry David.

As Ok Cowgirl continues to explore and experiment with their sound, frontwoman Leah Lavigne sat down with The Daily Targum to discuss the band's origins, the inspirations behind their distinct soundscape and the behind-the-scenes process of making the music video for "Larry David," which involved a chance encounter and some bald caps.

Before the idea of ever starting a band popped into her head, Lavigne started her career as a solo artist. Growing up, she was constantly surrounded by music, whether it was her mother, a classically trained pianist, or her father, who had a penchant for Motown and alternative rock.

She started playing piano and writing songs as a hobby, but after stumbling across YouTube covers of popular songs, she realized the power of music when different elements are combined together.

"Once I unlocked that, the whole singing and playing an instrument at the same time, that is when I was like, 'Oh wait, actually, I love making music,'" she said. "It's a beautiful way to try and connect with people, it's a beautiful form of expression."

With support from her parents, teachers and the Detroit suburb community where she grew up, Lavigne felt inspired to pursue a full-time gig as a musician. 

Despite the overwhelming encouragement, as an Asian-American woman growing up in a predominantly white area, she often felt like an outsider. But, moving to New York for her first year at NYU would give her the opportunity to interact with people from similar backgrounds.

"It was awesome to move to a more diverse place where people were open-minded and I felt free to really just be myself and figure out what that even meant," she said.

Among these people was Matt Birkenholz, a fellow NYU student and drummer who would play alongside Lavigne. Although they initially struggled to draw crowds at local shows, things began to fall into place when they started playing house parties and expanded their lineup to include guitarist Jake Sabinsky, a local bartender, along with bassist Ryan Work and synth player John Miller.

Even after the band completed its roster, it took time to find their groove and refine their roles. Whether it was during the songwriting process or the actualization of their pieces on stage, it was important to Lavigne and the rest of Ok Cowgirl that everyone's voice felt heard.

"Honestly, it's taken us a long time to really figure out what our band dynamic is," she said. "I'm just grateful to be making music with people who I feel like my tastes align with and who have exciting cool ideas to bring to the table."

The individual contributions of each band member are evident in Ok Cowgirl's sound, an amalgamation of the music Lavigne interacted with throughout her youth and the rest of the band's defining sensibilities. This is particularly noticeable in "Couldn't Save Us From My Gut," which offers a little bit of everything. Tracks like "Little Splinters" are intoxicating power ballads while "Forever" ventures into the territory of lowkey, dream pop.

Despite their chameleon-like ability to explore different sounds, the band maintains a strong focus on lyrics. Lavigne attributes this to their admiration for country icons like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, renowned for their vivid portrayals of relatable, everyday American people. Although the country influence isn't immediately apparent in Ok Cowgirl's sound, their seemingly unusual name for an East Coast band serves as a clear homage.

"Our old bass player … actually suggested, Ok Cowgirl. And I don't know where it came from, but it just immediately felt fitting," she said. "I'm really into the mythos of the cowboy figure in American culture, as this outsider who does things their own way … growing up I definitely felt like an outsider, and I aspired to own that and feel empowered in that."

One of the band's more intriguing inspirations, though, is the cathartic track "Larry David," which features an expletive-filled chorus designed for listeners to scream along and disregard their troubles. While Larry David acts as a metaphor in the song's bridge for embracing complete honesty without concern for other opinions, the band fully adopts his imagery in the accompanying music video, where they don bald caps, sweaters and thin glasses.

"'Larry David' came together really sort of spontaneously and casually in rehearsal. And we played it at a show, like a week later," she said. "Our friend Evan (Murray) was in the crowd and he's a director ... and he was like, 'I need to make a music video' … 'You're all gonna wear bald caps. You're gonna run around New York City wreaking havoc,' and I was like 'Okay, sounds like fun to me.'"

Lavigne advises young, aspiring musicians to embrace this willingness to have fun and not take things too seriously. As her career continues to blossom and Ok Cowgirl makes its mark in the indie scene, she reflects on her own journey, acknowledging that she was once an uncertain young musician finding her place in the industry.

"Play your damn music and have fun," she says. "(Don't) get too caught up with trying to measure your own success … If you're just starting out, or you're still pretty young, I would say, just keep doing it, trying to have fun. Play those shows. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."