Austin indie pop duo Hovvdy’s song “Bubba” has a restraint to it that rides the line between repression and stoicism — so Southern.
by guest writer Hannah Burns
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Stream: “Bubba” – Hovvdy
I‘ve never given a second thought to calling someone Bubba.
It’s a southernism, sure, but it’s just like “sis.” I’d argue it rolls of the tongue even easier. Even if Bubba isn’t your brother, say that Bubba is your sister’s boyfriend or even the family dog, it just means you care about them. It’s a term of endearment.
“Bubba” is a new single released by Hovvdy (pronounced Howdy), out of Austin, Texas. This band has been on my playlists since 2019. I latch onto songs by them periodically, with an obsession that I have rarely felt – “Cathedral,” “True Love,” “Town” – I get them stuck on a loop.
And it’s happening again with “Bubba.”
As a writer, I believe we can have community through our words, and Hovvdy has given me that several times over. They have given voice to a particular despair that is feeling stuck in a place or emotion, regardless of latitude. A lot of their music centers on feeling alone but also leaning on community, friends and family. Bubba can be anyone, blood relative or not. It’s family, in that queer southern way that everyone you love is family because you love them.
The song starts: Can I dive deeper?
It is as if Hovvdy are asking for permission.
My sister said, “Bubba change your plans”
You can hold me by the hand
You can hold me by the hand
In this exchange, Bubba is being given that space to feel.
Being back home for the holidays, driving a car for the frst time in a while, and listening to Hovvdy’s new singles, I just felt grateful. The feeling of holding on and letting go struggling within my chest, “Bubba” made me cry. It’s about loss, which is a lot of what I feel driving around my hometown. My grandaddy I can’t talk to anymore, the friends I don’t keep up with. I’m so far away now.
You used to talk about him
Much more, now you can’t
Bring it up without a helpless
Feeling, I get it
I think of the times that I’ve been called last, when Aunt Barbara had passed or when my Grandmama was diagnosed, because there was nothing I could do about it. I was too far away, and maybe a little forgotten.
When you’re down, when you need some help
I’m not around, god, I hate it
The lyricism is concise, not simple. It has a restraint to it that rides the line between repression and stoicism. It is so Southern.
I’ll get a goddamn grip
Hold on to it for a while
Please hold on to it for a while
Now, I can’t say I’ve ever been to Texas, but I am a South Carolina girl living in Brooklyn.
As such, it is a relief to listen to music that isn’t necessarily about beers and trucks and still feel at home in it. It is a relief to feel that nostalgia and distance while I’m on the subway.
But it’s not just the subject material, it’s the sound. The pop influence, the steady and insistent piano, the brevity of the track, all make it perfect to put on a loop.
It’s a pensive, down-the-rabbit-hole loop, diving deeper.
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Hannah Burns is a Brooklyn based writer from Charleston, SC studying fiction in The New School’s MFA program. You can find Hannah co-hosting the monthly After Hours reading series at KGB bar or getting lost in Greenwood Cemetery. Find her on Instagram @hannahhburnss and email h.k.burns22@gmail.com!
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Stream: “Bubba” – Hovvdy
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© Adam Alonzo
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