The Lowbred Watts put out an album last year that not enough people heard. Ryan Stapler (aka The Lowbred Watts) makes refreshingly honest music that slots itself somewhere between garage, americana, and blues rock. His debut, This American Hide, is a collection of tape recordings that sparkle with the subtleties afforded by the personal touch of Stapler’s homemade, lo-fi grandeur.
Ruminating in gritty timbre and the melancholy tone of blues, the album patiently tinkers through a variety of instrumentation while tackling certain uncertainties of early adulthood. The purposeful lack of polish allows the heartfelt ballads to shine with an endearingly soulful imperfection. Each note and chord has something to say as it is plucked, strummed, or pressed with intimate intensity. Blistering guitar lines protrude with a voice as strong as Stapler’s own grinding lilt on instrumental tracks “I Left The Window Open” and “Ectopic Vibrations.” Soaked in the droning nature of the album as a whole, “Not Sleeping Outdoors” and “Adult Things” hold most steadfastly to orthodox song structures and repetitious melodies. As Stapler pours his heart out track by track, This American Hide unfolds into an emotional story book, encapsulating a few not-surprisingly relatable life struggles and triumphs. Listen, love, and download below.
Favorite Tracks: Not Sleeping Outdoors & Ectopic Vibrations
