California-based musician Carmela is kicking off the new year with a raucous new single, “Good Girl Riot.”
Released Friday morning, this song marks the indie rocker’s first release of the year following a string of singles in 2025, possibly hinting at a new full-length album. A potential sophomore record would be her first since 2022’s New Stranger.
“Good Girl Riot” is driven by a stellar-sounding bass, brass-heavy drumming, and an interesting combination of both distorted and flanged electric guitars. Carmela’s softly-powered vocals are produced to be fuzzy, making for a grounding presence in the song. There’s even a shaker, adding further depth and life to the mix.
Lyrically, the song describes an all-consuming love for someone with plenty of negatives to their name. The narrator is seemingly taking this person for who they are, flaws and all, and acknowledging that they make her do things she normally wouldn’t. The hook, “You make a good girl riot,” is infectious and sums up the ethos of the song quite nicely.
Whether or not “Good Girl Riot” is part of a larger project remains to be seen. As it is, though, the song stands well on its own, serving as the perfect soundtrack for heartache-filled crash outs and romantic serenades.
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