The Cowboys

Bloomington’s favorite sons The Cowboys hit back with hints at a new album a couple of months back, though it’s been easier to find it in the streaming trenches than anywhere physical yet. I’d hoped it would be bound for Bandcamp by now, but regardless of your format preferences, the album is sure to light a little fire under the end of the year. It’s a soul-stung garage burner that finds the band as potent as ever. Spread over a wealth of 19 tracks, the band slips through their best guises; dirt-spattered ’n dented, blue-eyed soul swagger, and power pop crunch. Like their last ripper, the band’s sounding more scrubbed up than ever, though they lean less on the soul stick than the last time around. The band’s early works often huffed the exhaust and grit from the aughts/‘10s fidelity font, but like a few of their contemporaries, they’ve been able to buff up their bluster without loosing any heat. That came to a head on last year’s Sultan of Squat, but they haven’t lost a bit of momentum rolling into Captain Easy’s Downfall.

The ripple of power pop is the most interesting aspect of the new album. The band never plays it straight, though they come pretty close to a 20/20 treasure on “Sugar in the Shoe.” Elsewhere there’s always a little lacing of the crunch, quivering between the harder hues of their eternal garage specter and something cleaned and coiffed. Touches of synth seep through the seams and the band’s able to swing it towards new wave one minute, Neo-soul the next. The record glows, growls, takes gleeful swings and on some more tender moments, ruminates. Standout soul-glow single “Bright Colors Indicate Toxicity” shimmers with a melancholy that looks good on the band. The portfolio approach never comes across as scattershot, but rather like a well wrought journey. The Cowboys have always been quietly steadfast, not snagging the spotlight, but always keeping things interesting. Captain Easy’s Downfall keeps the legacy looming, another solid swinger from the Rust Belt’s best.