by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Philadelphia’s Labrador make alt-country music to lift you up. It’s not always bubbling with positivity, but they’re here to remind you you’re not alone, that the cruelty of the world affects us all, and that good times are just around the bend. They take those sentiments to heart on Hold The Door For Strangers, their first new music since 2020’s A Car That Works EP. The core duo of the band - Pat King (vocals, guitar) and Kris Hayes (guitar) - found themselves moving across the East and South in the wake of the pandemic, but with a focus on empathetic storytelling, the band came back together, expanding the group to include, Chris Arena (drums), Saysha Heinzman (bass), and Grace Kim (violin). The recording sessions in turn became a reunion of friends, converting a barn into a make-shift studio to capture their new album together with producer Kyle Gilbride (Swearin’, Waxahatchee). Due out January 13th via No Way of Knowing Records, the band take a woozy and heartfelt approach to sincere character studies, with lessons that find wide ranging applicability.
“Guy With A Job (That Nobody Wants)” is the record’s lead single, a grandiose folk rock ballad that peels with shadows of AM radio gold and well lit guitar solos, burning at both ends. It’s a song about overworked angels and the idea of trying to good everywhere possible, even to the point of exhaustion. King’s vocals veer between a yearning twang and a strained passion, giving the sense that try as he might, sometimes there’s only so much you can do before burning out. On the higher end of the record’s energy scale, it’s feels like a noir barroom tale, with the composition taking unexpected turns between verses, staying true to itself, but moseying away from being predictable.
Speaking about the song, King shared:
“There are so many great songs that take on the perspective of an all-powerful God up in the clouds laughing at how silly humanity is. I thought it would be a fun idea to write from the perspective of an overworked and overloaded miracle worker trying to process every single prayer that comes in, no matter how big or small. I picture it being one of those thankless gigs like working at the DMV where the person behind the desk just has to throw their hands up to say, “You know what? I’m just doing my best here!”