Song Premiere: Haley Bonar, 'Bad Reputation'

Haley Bonar has been crafting gorgeous, stately pop and wounded ballads for more than a decade now, and her fans still often find themselves explaining, "It's pronounced Bonner." At this point, Bonar deserves to have people pronounce her name correctly and then some, because she's a remarkable performer, with a terrific ear for detail and a gift for masking melancholy observations with hooks that stick.

A Twin Cities singer-songwriter who's worked and toured with Low and Andrew Bird, among others, Bonar will release her as-yet-untitled sixth album in early 2013, but is leading off with a 7" single for the darkly sparkling "Bad Reputation." Though its title hints at a note of defiance, the song is shot through with doubt — "I feel stupid and confused on anything that has to do with you," she sings — but it's dispensed with a poppy brightness that's virtually impossible to resist.

The "Bad Reputation" / "Down Sunny Roads" 7" is out Nov. 6, and available digitally.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.