In their Bandcamp bio, Atlanta indie band Arbor Labor Union self-describe as “transcendental twang.” They came to my attention a while back through Josh Terry’s essential No Expectations newsletter, and this Thanksgiving season I am grateful for the find. ALU popped up in the Bandcamp notifications this morning with a new release titled Out To Pasture, fully online today and coming to vinyl in January via Ryan Davis’ label Sophomore Lounge. You’re going to want to hear this.
I don’t know whether to call this record an LP, and EP, or what. It’s seven songs long, and the sleeve indicates it will spin at 45 rpm. So I’m going with “mini-album.” But the distinction doesn’t matter; what matters is the phenomenal quality of the music. Arbor Labor Union have honed in on a loose, folky, jammy vibe that strikes me as a Southern-fried answer to Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks or a playful peer to psych-folk acts like Heron Oblivion. But really, the reference points go much farther back.
Specifically, it’s impossible to miss the late ’60s in these guitar-powered jams. The official blurb cites CSNY, but when the guitars and drums lock into spiraling grooves on the magnificent title track, I’m hearing Cream, Fairport Convention, and the Grateful Dead in there too. And, inching onward into the ’70s, is that some Yes “Roundabout” worship on “Repunzel”? The point is you need to scroll down and press play right away, so get on with it, OK?
Out To Pasture is out now digitally as a Bandcamp exclusive and will see physical release 1/2 via Sophomore Lounge. Buy it here.
