the AMERiCANS - STAND TRUE

ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

May 14, 2022

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

If I'm doing this thing right, I've made a case over the past many years for the great diversity possible in roots music. We do cast a vast net here at R&B HQ, hauling in mutations and hybrids of the familiar, stuff that at some point probably traces its heritage back to folk, country, soul or blues, even if you have to squint to hear it. Los Angeles' Americans began by feeding their fascination with rockabilly and country-blues, before gradually extending those influences outwards on a debut EP and on 2017's I'll Be Yours (see standout cuts "Right Stuff" and "Hooky"). Fronted by singer-guitarist Patrick Ferris, the Americans have flirted with the fringes of pop, rock and soul, investing their originals with a live urgency that makes them better than you might have expected. 

The Americans' second full-length collection demonstrates tighter songcraft while also exercising less restraint. Stand True gives rein to Tim Carr's unrestrained drumming, tumbling, chugging or pounding fiercely. "Sore Bones" is an unmannered wallop, not unlike Tom Waits fronting Shovels & Rope: I'm a low-brow, chin-down / Fist-slugging, scuffling kind. Songs like "Orion" set up shop at the far reaches of what was once rockabilly, where Ferris' singing falls to the unhinged, spirit-filled edge.  The song also typifies the dirty, garage guitar that permeates Stand True, shared between Ferris and Zac Sokolow, with Jake Faulkner abusing his bass. 

It's a beautiful noise, a racket that reads like the most primitive moments of Devil Makes Three or Low Cut Connie. But like Connie's Adam Weiner, Patrick Ferris wields a fiercely soulful vocal, shot through with spirit and fervor. That bottled lightning is on display on "Born With a Broken Heart", ranging from a high croon to a gritty growl, inviting us to Let your reckless body lead you astray. The singer's most impressive moments happen with more soulful cuts like "What Would I Do" or "Here With You". "Day I Let You Down" drags listeners through a heavier blues rock: That's how a small town stays small / Folks make up their minds and cross their arms. 

Stand True finds The Americans experimenting confidently with their songwriting and arrangements, introducing the title track with acoustic picking and slide guitar, before switching gears for a bluesy break: I don't speak your name, but I have not forgotten how. The song's latter half unleashes a shimmering guitar solo (absolutely underappreciated in roots music), the rocking instrumental unspooling into a satisfying outro. "Give Way" and "Farewell" play similarly with evolving dynamics and sudden sonic eruptions. Patrick Ferris' delivery on the latter is a sung/spoken funeral pastiche, a Dylan-esque drawl: A world is gone, but people keep moving / Like nothing was wrong. 

Please understand that, aside from The The, The Americans might be one of the more difficult acts to track down online, with searches bringing up a myriad of tastefully jingoistic sites with inspiring pics of majestic eagles in mid-flight (none of which have anything to do with our LA outfit). But once you land at your destination your hard work will be rewarded, the boundaries of your roots music world will be widened. Stand True ends by accepting an invitation to drive into the promise of a night that's still young: The cafes are closing / The sky is black and blue / The streets are wide open / The world is brand new.