Country Westerns

***The debut album from Nashville rockers the COUNTRY WESTERNS. Even if you don’t know their names, you likely know their work. Drummer BRIAN KOTZUR starred in Harmony Korine’s film Trash Humpers and was a member of SILVER JEWS. Singer, guitarist, and songwriter JOSEPH PLUNKET led Brooklyn legends THE WEIGHT, with a bass-playing side-hustle for Atlanta’s GENTLEMAN JESSE. Plunket relocated to Nashville ten years ago and opened a bar. It was there, in a town teeming with solo artists and hired guns, that the two bonded over their shared desire to be in an actual band. In 2016, Plunket and Kotzur spent a year in Kotzur’s garage writing riffs and tracking demos. During those hazy, late nights they began to hone their sound. Eventually, with a handful of songs and the encouragement of their friends, they began their quest for the third ‘Country Western’. After some time playing with different lineups, their friend SABRINA RUSH, another rock-n-roller for life, joined them on bass. On their debut album, Plunket delivers his words with a cool, raspy bravado and a hint of twang. The lyrics bend towards poetry and punk rock sneer in equal measure and lines such as “Maybe I ain’t smart, but I ain’t lying” set the tone for the entire album. The songs are full of insistent guitar riffs played on an electric twelve-string, the jangle either mitigating the edge or pushing it further.