My DJ Pick of the Week is a local, Minnesota artist, Monica LaPlante, and her song, "Hope You're Alone."

I like this one on a lot of different levels. First of all, LaPlante is a former student of the McNally-Smith College of Music, which is just down the street from Minnesota Public Radio. It's a little-known fact — he doesn't talk much about it — but The Current's Sean McPherson had LaPlante in a songwriting class he was teaching at McNally-Smith some time ago. So I like that hometown connection.

But ultimately, even if I knew nothing about Monica LaPlante or where she's from, this song has a hook so big, it would take a team of surgeons to remove it from my brain, if that were ever to happen.

"Hope You're Alone" is dark, it is driving, it is insistent, it is somebody who is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. And I am so, so very glad that LaPlante did not write this song about me, but I love listening to it multiple times a day. It's easily my favorite song The Current is playing right now: Monica LaPlante, "Hope You're Alone."

Back in December, LaPlante performed the song during an in-studio session hosted by Andrea Swensson. It's also well worth noting that Monica LaPlante is performing at The Current's 12th Birthday Party on Saturday, Jan. 28, so we'll likely get to see her perform "Hope You're Alone" live onstage in the First Avenue mainroom.

Resources

Monica LaPlante - official site

McNally-Smith College of Music

Related

• Monica LaPlante performs in The Current studio