Rock & Indie 412 Items

When Man Man released its last album, "Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In Between," frontman Honus Honus (née Ryan Kattner) was in a state of unrest, oscillating between hope and cynicism. Perhaps fittingly, the album dropped during the pandemic, a time at which we could all relate. But, much like that bizarre turn of events, the ennui now seems so distant to Man Man. A revived sense of purpose washes through Man Man's new album, Carrot on Strings, radiating a mix of calm and confidence. Kattner always embodied a wild-man pied-piper vibe: his melodic, unhinged art-rock was at once intriguing and angsty. He was so alluringly creative that you went along with it, even if you were never sure where Man Man would take you. Carrot on Strings is no less inventive, but its ethos is radical in context of the band's two-decade career. "When I was younger, I would feed off of chaos. I would, you know, be upset and get drunk and smash chairs," Kattner explains. "Now those chairs are in my head: It's less of an outward projection, more of an interior monologue." The name "Carrot on Strings" came to Kattner while experimenting with the sound of someone munching on the vegetable, which you can hear in the cacophonous, similarly named song. It alludes to how success always seemed to dangle uncertainly before him, often just out of reach. But listen intently and you'll hear a more content Kattner finding an uneasy peace: "Life, as far as I've known it, has always been side hustles. Would it be great if I could go into a studio and record for a year without figuring out how to finance it? Yeah, it would be," he says. "But ultimately, I need to keep making music because art is an extension of my psyche. It's how I have learned to translate the palpitations of my heart. Simply put, I'd go insane without it." Growing up as a multiracial Hapa kid (half Filipino, half white) with a father in the U.S. Air Force, Kattner lived an itinerant childhood that included a few pivotal years in Germany, where he honed in on an appreciati...

Good Looks write kindhearted and cathartic rock songs about thepersistence required to make it through hard times. In April 2022, theAustin, Texas quartet released their critically acclaimed debut`Bummer Year'. Immediately after their triumphant hometown recordrelease show, lead guitarist Jake Ames was hit by a car crossing thestreet, fracturing his skull and tailbone. Thankfully, Ames made a fullrecovery. The traumatic accident strengthened the bond that builttheir electric new album `Lived Here For A While'. Out May 3 viaKeeled Scales, it's fearlessly direct music that captures the fullthroatedintensity of their galvanizing live show.Reinvigorated, Good Looks tracked `Lived Here for a While' at Texas'Dandy Sounds with producer/engineer Dan Duszynski (of Loma andCross Record) the following summer. Though Ames had to relearnsome of his parts, his palpably energetic performances elevated theentire record.On the LP, the band trades the Americana sound that colored in thelines of `Bummer Year' for clanging post-punk guitars and expansiveindie rock. Lyrically, the songs on this album are healing meditationson family dysfunction, new relationships, and how a home canbecome unrecognizable. Lyricist Tyler Jordan's songs explore howrelationships can crumble irrevocably but also how thosepartnerships can be centering, hopeful, and exciting.In another horrific accident in July 2023, their tour van was rearendedby a speeding car, causing their van, instruments, merch, andrecords, to go up in flames. Thankfully, none of the band memberssuffered serious injuries. This resilience is essential to Good Looksand why the songs on `Lived Here For A While' resonate soprofoundly.