On “Under,” Porch Light Escapes the Search Bar

The young Minneapolis band Porch Light has a digital nuisance to contend with: type their name into any streaming platform, and Noah Kahan’s song of the same title from his blockbuster album The Great Divide pops up first. It’s the kind of search-bar collision that can bury a smaller act, but the group isn’t banking on patience alone. Their new single “Under” sounds like a band forcing its own hand.

Out today on Mom+Pop, the track opens with searing feedback before collapsing into guttural screams from vocalist Jackie Uhas. There’s a Southern rock strut woven into the hard rock attack, and Uhas shifts abruptly from harsh aggression to a sweet melodic hook. The contrast isn’t calculated—it’s instinctual. Written during a jam at Uhas’s parents’ house, “Under” took months to find its full shape. The chorus, anchored by the line “WAKE ME UP,” arrived later at practice when Uhas simply started yelling over the riff.

The recording process was equally untamed. Uhas saved her vocal takes for the final night of a 10-day studio session, determined not to hold back. She admits she’s untrained in screaming safely, so she opted for a more immediate method: a few beers, a shot of Jameson, and the Timberwolves game on in the background. The bridge was scribbled on a toilet break; minutes later, she tracked the vocals while producer Caleb listened to her parts for the first time. The result is a performance that sounds unvarnished, not for lack of care, but because the mess was the point.

Porch Light’s previous single “Arctic” leaned Paramore-esque—sharp, polished, hook-driven. “Under” is a different animal, closer to a feral live take than a studio construction. It’s the rare heavy song whose commercial appeal doesn’t feel built in, just carried by sheer vocal force and a riff that knows exactly when to swagger. The band may be stuck under a bigger name’s shadow for now, but with music this confident, the algorithm becomes a temporary inconvenience.