A pout is a strange facial expression—it takes muscle to make that perfect curvature of the bottom lip, a gesture of adolescent annoyance or feigned attraction. And it's in that fine line between sweet sensuality and melancholy where Pouty finds its sugary garage pop sound. “Sad” is a great example of this: It embraces the sad girl aesthetic, to look pretty when you cry.

Pouty is the brainchild of Slutever’s Rachel Gagliardi. Where that band is fueled by jagged punk-pop, Pouty is delicate. Gagliardi recently moved to Philadelphia from L.A.—Amanda X’s Cat Park also plays in the band—which makes for a conceptual negotiation: “Sad” has a slow California chill filtered through the harsh reality of an East Coast existence. “Run away to freedom/Self-evaluate,” Rachel sings, “How many times will I tell you I feel sad today?” “Sad” is a song about depression, rooted in insecurity—the moment after making a decision and wondering if it was the right one. It’s as universal as that complicated wrinkling of the mouth.