Written by Shea Roney | Photo Courtesy of The Spatulas

Every Wednesday, the ugly hug shares a playlist personally curated by an artist/band that we have been enjoying. This week we have a collection of songs put together by Bloomington-based songwriter, Miranda Soileau-Pratt, of the band The Spatulas. 

Back in the Spring of 2024, The Spatulas released their debut full-length album, Beehive Mind, a collection of songs that feel like a bracing artifact, formative at the heart of punk-rock antiquity but sobering in the guts of Miranda’s poetic perspectives. Amongst loose structures, flicked guitars and percussive movers, The Spatulas don’t dwell on impact, but rather carry stories of empathy, passion, imperfection and grief with such care in the band’s unique scheme of simpleness. Along with bandmates Jon Grothman (bass), Lila Jarzombek (guitar) and Kyle Raquipiso (drums), these tracks sway with both color and grit as the Spatulas play off of what’s around them. And it’s in the obvious, or otherwise, overlooked, where Miranda’s words don’t drag their feet when exploring the familiar, but rather ask what it means for these instances to become familiar to us in the first place.

About the playlist, Miranda shared;

“It’s been quite the journey from Oregon, to Cambridge Mass, to Bloomington but I’m so happy to live in the Midwest now! Couldn’t have made it without my old ’96. I’ve been listening to most of these songs for many years. All are inspiration for the Spatulas’ sound, in particular for the forthcoming album “A Blue Dot” (Post Present Medium). Since beginning the band with my husband, Elijah, in 2020, we have been inspired by music that lends itself to the musical amateur. Simple song structures and minimal chord changes allow people to play without much concern for theory, (Television Personalities, The Clean, JJ Ulius). An open-mindedness towards the timbre of one’s instrument gives a freedom to express without much concern for technical skill. Many singers presented on this playlist showcase that same lack of inhibition, (Dead Moon, Armand Schaubroeck, WWH, Jim Shepherd). I like lyrical gravity, songs that tell a humanistic story, promote compassion and self-actualization, (Thunderclap Newman, Barbara Dane, Jacob Milstein). I also value complex arrangements, and can go there sometimes with my own lyrics, but tend towards simplicity. More than anything else, this playlist shows my appreciation for mainly classic punk and rock & roll from around the world and captures my headspace during a time of transition.”

Listen to the playlist HERE!

You can listen to The Spatulas’ catalog now, as well as Miranda’s latest release, Around and About You, a collab with Nowhere Flower (Lila Jarzombek). Miranda was also a member of the Oregon-based band, The Blimps.