Gabby Rivers ‘Lipstick Karma’ – A Grunge-Pop Gut Punch

Gabby Rivers returns with a defiant scream and a glint of glittering fury on new single ‘Lipstick Karma’ – a stormy grunge-pop belter that spins heartbreak into something thunderous and thrilling. It’s the sound of a young artist sharpening her edges, and refusing to be boxed in. Gone are the cleaner alt-pop sensibilities of her earlier work – in their place, gritty guitars and percussive punches that swing with purpose.

Opening with a moody blend of chorus-soaked riffs and tight, boxy drums, ‘Lipstick Karma’ quickly takes a turn for the anthemic. Rivers’ vocal rides through a vocoder-tinged pre-chorus with a ghostly coolness, before detonating into a fiery hook – a melody both searing and addictively slick. The production here is whip-smart, oscillating between crunch and gloss, as if daring the listener to keep up.

There’s a raw honesty that powers the track’s core. “It turned toxic, and I eventually walked away,” Gabby shares about the relationship that inspired the single – a revelation that gives the track its bite. Her delivery echoes the sentiment: wounded but resolute, finding strength in distance. Where vulnerability meets rage, ‘Lipstick Karma’ blooms into something cathartic and deeply personal.

What makes Rivers’ newest effort so potent is its refusal to compromise. The grunge textures don’t swallow the pop hooks; instead, they frame them, elevating every chorus like a scar turned into war paint. It’s music that embraces messiness – emotionally and sonically – without ever losing sight of the craft. Think early Garbage funneled through a Gen Z lens, with just enough TikTok-glam chaos to make it feel fresh.

With ‘Lipstick Karma’, Gabby Rivers marks a thrilling evolution in her sound – angrier, sharper, and impossibly more assured. It’s a song that doesn’t ask for your attention; it grabs it by the collar and stares you down. As she carves a space between alt-rock’s rawness and pop’s polish, Gabby proves she’s not just riding a wave – she’s starting her own.