Pick of the Week: Ok Cowgirl “Little Splinters”

By Nora Onanian, Web Services Coordinator

“Sometimes vulnerability just looks like trash!” Ok Cowgirl’s Leah Lavigne sings at a dramatic break in instrumentation during the band’s new single, “Little Splinters.” Paired with such an infectious sonic recipe, the lyric will strike relatable to anyone who has put themselves out there and quickly regretted it. 

And Lavigne can be trusted on this topic… vulnerability was a key ingredient in the success of the Brooklyn band’s 2021 EP Not My First Rodeo. Off of the album: “Her Eyes” is a slow build song; a queer anthem of sorts, about Lavigne’s all-consuming crush on a girl. A second track, “Across the Room,” brings listeners to another relatable feeling, singing about how jarring it is to go from being in a relationship with someone to only seeing them “in passing” or “across the room” at parties. 

“Little Splinters,” then, finds some of its appeal in a similar sense of candor. Lavigne starts the song singing about her tendency to plan too many coffee dates and bail. Other verses flash to reflections on not having a date to the prom and the aftermath of posting a risky picture. 

But the rest of the song diverges. The band waxes a bit more poetic than their past material, and “Little Splinters” reveals itself to be a song about growth above all else. 

VULNERABILITY, GROWTH & INTENTIONALITY

Her nerves at putting herself out there by going on a first date, or of being seen dancing alone at prom, have held Lavigne back, she sings. “I have wasted years, trying to escape fear.”

Holding her notes and harnessing more vocal force, she goes on to sing of her hope that out of these “little splinters,” left by moments like these, “one day trees will grow.” During this chorus, the instrumentation is electric, as if the words are reverberating with power.  

And so this time, she sets a new intention: “But this year I wanna move in it, like a muddy swamp. This year, gonna dance with it, like I'm at the prom.” The imagery of such comparisons is vivid; evocative of how trudge-like it may feel to put herself out there at first.

Putting herself in these vulnerable situations, or getting these chips on her shoulders, though, is the key to growth, she decides. The song ends with Lavigne repeating with confidence, “Oh little splinters, one day we will grow.”

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