Alex the Astronaut Essentials

“Holding someone’s hand should never make you ashamed,” sings Alexandra Lynn on 2017’s “Not Worth Hiding,” an open call for LGBTQ+ equality and acceptance in the face of Australia’s same-sex marriage plebiscite, which took place that same year. That track’s combination of diary-like frankness and jaunty folk-pop is characteristic of the Sydney singer-songwriter better known as Alex the Astronaut. Lynn’s 2022 track “Haircut” taps deeper into self-discovery via the transformative act of its title (“And I feel like who I am supposed to”), while the same year’s upbeat single “Octopus” reflects on a recent autism diagnosis. But no matter how close to home their subject matter gets, there’s an effervescent melodic sensibility to Lynn’s sound that makes even the most soul-baring moments easy on the ear.