by Ryan Meyer (@meyer_ryan_twt)
Guitar-based Americana music has its newest addition in the form of Philadelphia band Labrador’s latest release, Hold the Door for Strangers. The record, the band’s second, provides a unique take on alt-country, as it sees Labrador playing with more grit and dust than contemporaries like the War on Drugs and Kurt Vile that have dipped their feet into the genre, both of whom are from Philadelphia as well.
Most of Hold the Door for Strangers’ nine songs sit back and recline into comfortable grooves that vary more in volume and intensity rather than in pace. One outlier is the title track, an acoustic gem that closes the album with a subtle finger-picked riff and gentle strums and the words “we’re all standing tall without a leg to stand on,” which frontman Pat King says is the theme of the record. “No matter what you’re going through, someone is going through something worse,” King says, as stated in the record’s bio, written by Jesse Locke.
Musically, Labrador doesn’t shy away from guitar theatrics, and while every solo is punchy and effective, perhaps the best musical moment comes in the latter half of “Dog Chorus.” Subtle synths are introduced behind the steady crawl of the rhythm section before the guitarists veer slightly from their reliable fuzz and instead provide a shimmering, almost glitchy wall of sound, politely interrupted by another simple yet powerful solo.
The record also features more traditional alt-country instruments, most prominently with Grace Kim’s violin playing on the half-spoken word “I Lost My Gun,” bringing to mind Being There-era Wilco. While the song leaves no doubt as to its genre, it’s also no barnstomper, acting more as a respite between two of the record’s more rocking tunes, the aforementioned “Dog Chorus” and lead single “Guy With A Job (That Nobody Wants).”
Hold the Door for Strangers is available as a cassette on Labrador’s Bandcamp, which is the most fitting way to enjoy it, given the atmosphere it suggests of cool summer nights on front porches overlooking nondescript plains with a cool bottle of your choice, maybe even a Mexican Beer.