By Stan Cierlitsky
Has anyone else out there tried dipping their toe in this new country sound? And when I say new country, I mean indie artists like MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, and Greg Freeman. Well, if there is someone out there giving it a try, the new album by This is Lorelei, The Singer in My Band is a must listen and it's out this week.
I actually first heard of This is Lorelei last year when MJ Lenderman covered "Dancing in the Club", one of my favorites of 2025. This is Lorelei is primarily the solo project of Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes). He did almost everything for this album with a little help from his family. You should definitely check out the blistering banjo by his father Bob Amos on the title track here as it's quite the hoedown. I should probably point out that while songs like that one are fun listens, I really do prefer when there isn't quite as much country in my new country, if you know what I mean. For example, the first single (and my favorite song from the album), "Billy Came Back" really sounds more alternative than country. Every time this song comes on my first thought is that it's The Go-Betweens. The fact that his sister harmonizes with him on this just makes that Go-Betweens comparison sound even more clear given that group's reliance on boy/girl harmonies on their best stuff.
Another favorite, and second single, "Oh No Now My" actually sounds more rock. It's hard to really pin down the comparison, but I'm thinking maybe The Replacements, though it would be Replacements Lite. Nate Amos also uses some interesting production on this one, and some weird sounds in the mix. Also of note are two other songs -- "Nitro" and "Hey Sarah Is It Gonna Rain Forever" -- which Amos has gone on record as saying had been bouncing around for nearly five years for a home on one of his projects. Well, they found a good home here on The Singer in My Band. "Nitro" is a very short instrumental that has a repetitive and very familiar guitar chord that ends beautifully with strings. Amos then takes that familiar guitar chord and those strings and builds a great song around them on "Hey Sarah is it Gonna Rain Forever" after that. The juxtaposition of these two songs is so cool as we hear an idea formed and then hear it grow.
Another rocker on the album is "The Kid With the Crown" which has a wailing guitar that keeps popping up. It kind of makes me think Amos heard the new Dinosaur Jr. album (my review is here). Oh, and don't worry because there's certainly a lot of country flavor here too. The opener "I Will Eat My Heart in the Morning Light" is a nice, medium-paced country-sounding song, while "Watching Heaven Fall" is another toe-tapping hoedown.
I have to say I am really enjoying this new sub-genre. I have never really been a fan of modern country, but there is a lot of good stuff for alternative to borrow and cross over with. This is Lorelei is definitely solidifying their place in the rankings of new country with this new record. The Singer in My Band is definitely worth a listen.
The Singer in My Band by This is Lorelei is out today on Matador Records.
[Photo: Gabe Young]