Premiere: The Craters – ‘American English’

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Nashville, TN label Designer Medium proves once again that “Music City” is more than honkey tonks and country bros with The Craters’ new album American English, out today. The record is an expansive, noisey, punk album; breaking down the guitar/screaming punk stereotype with lots of distortion.

The follow up to Kaplan’s Kids Can Tell EP, American English mixes the improvisational style of jazz masters with the DIY spirit behind bedroom pop projects. Resulting, is a jarring, entertaining album that never gets boring. Take a listen below. 

At just over a minute, the album bursts open with “Bad Map,” a dark, clanking song that would function well as an alarm to get you moving. It segues perfectly into “Shutter,” a more traditional tune with Kaplan’s hushed lyrics over gentle psych sounds begging for a swirling light show.

“Videogenic” is a chime-filled track that seems to spring forward from the recesses of Kaplan’s mind. It feels like an improvised tune that’d be impossible to repeat, with seemingly random clinks and dark guitar chords. For an out-of-this-world experience, look no further than “Chopper.”

Kaplan notes the album as “for the lonely, misunderstood and yet loving college kid in all of us,” and that’s the perfect description. He’s pushing boundaries and growing sonically, but underneath all of the mixing and effects, it’s still Kaplan.

Learn more about Nashville’s DIY staple label Designer Medium, and track down the album here.

 

– Kat Harding