Bella Porter, Eliza Catastrophe

L.A. songwriter Bella Porter is one of those musicians who can create a big sound with just her voice and an acoustic guitar, and who finds authenticity in the kinds of realistic moments most songs skip right over. One of the tracks on her album Luck of the Draw even turns an anecdote about buying Girl Scout cookies outside a grocery store into a moving sketch of loneliness. Taking obvious influence from legends like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, Porter spins portraits of depressive episodes, lamentations about unrequited love and reflections on friendships that aren’t as strong as they once were. Potentially sad subjects, sure, but there’s always a wit inherent in her lyrics.