Ian Lockwood creates satirical yet skilled pop with “Not Like Other Girls”

Comedian and singer-songwriter Ian Lockwood will release his second EP, Not Like Other Girls, on October 22. The title track, also the lead single, pokes fun at the “I’m not like other girls” phenomenon, which depicts young women acting excessively quirky or unique in order to set themselves apart from the rest of their gender, often for male attention or due to internalized misogyny. Famous examples include P!nk and Avril Lavigne’s mid-2000s output, as well as the majority of love interests in John Green novels. The meme has entire Reddit subs dedicated to it, and now a pop anthem:

Lockwood follows a long tradition of comedians crossing over into musical territory, including “Weird” Al Yankovic, Flight of the Conchords, and most recently, Bo Burnham. However, he has bigger aspirations than novelty fodder. In September, he told PASTE Magazine of his goal to challenge the notion of comedy songs as dance floor clearers.

I want people to be able to throw [my music] on at a party and not everybody goes, ‘What the hell is this? Turn this off, next.’ I think if you’re a fan of comedy music, and you’ve ever hosted a party and tried to sneak a comedy song onto a playlist, you know the pain of people getting upset and asking to change the song. So the philosophy is good comedy and good music at the same time.

Ian Lockwood to PASTE Magazine, September 2021

Lockwood released the EP’s second single, “No Homo,” on October 1. Lyrically, the song is about two straight “bros” who accidentally-on-purpose keep finding themselves in steamy predicaments. To add insult to injury, it’s backed by a flamboyant nu-disco beat that makes it hard to believe the narrator’s insistence that everything is straight and narrow. The second half of the song goes on an entertaining tangent, where the narrator and his subject time-travel to the 1800s as star-crossed besties.

On October 22, Ian Lockwood is having a release show for Not Like Other Girls at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Listeners can also expect third single “Your Dad” to drop on the same day.