Release Radar: Courtside Betty 'Worry'

The San Diego band adds a new spin to an old story

Courtside Betty. Photo courtesy of the band.

Good Morning!

Today we’re listening to ‘Worry’ by San Diego-based Courtside Betty

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Over the last few years, our journey to find new music has taken us to some odd corners of the country. We’ve made stops in places as far afield as Bellingham, Washington, Bloomington, Indiana, and Athens, Georgia. We recently were in Portland, Maine. Today, we’re heading to the opposite coast: San Diego, California.

It’s a story that has been told a million times. Musicians find themselves in a new city, connect with other musicians, and make great music together. We can all probably rattle off any number of bands that have done just that, and San Diego’s Courtside Betty is no exception.

I had so many unanswered and unanswerable questions floating around in my head: Did I make the right decision? Did I cause more pain for the both of us by keeping things going as long as I did? Could I have stayed and faked it for the rest of my life? Would I ever shake this exhaustion?

~Clay Oboth

Coursrtide Betty’s story started in early 2023 when frontman Clay Oboth placed an online ad for musicians to round out an indie project. Again, a story told early and often in the history of modern rock music.

Here’s where it gets cool:

The first to respond was Catherine, who plays an electric harp. That story has not been told much (if ever), and Oboth saw it as both exciting and a challenge. Having filled out the rest of the group (Felipe on guitar & Connor on bass), the band got to work on cooking up some new tracks. Note: The original bassist and drummer were brought in only for recording. As of this writing, the band is still actively searching for a full-time drummer.

The band’s first single, “Poison,” dropped in mid-December, with follow-up ‘Worry’ just coming out late last month.

“I wrote this song to process my own feelings around a messy and complicated break-up. I spent the weeks leading up to and following the break-up worrying nearly every minute of every day”

Melding influences like Pixies, Soccer Mommy, and Car Seat Headrest with such an original instrument mix makes for a unique sound. ‘Worry’ is about the angsty fallout right after a relationship implodes, where a person is consumed with “what ifs?”. It would’ve been easy for a track like this to become a dirge, but the band does well to avoid that, keeping things moving. The muscular bass contrasts nicely with the harp, and both do well to support Oboth’s plaintive vocals.

Breakups suck, but songs about them don’t have to. ‘Worry’ definitely does not.

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Listen:

Courtside Betty | Worry (single), 2024

Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record!

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Thanks for being here,

Kevin—