Michael Grigoni / Pan American - New World, Lonely Ride - New LP
Format: New LP Label: krank Cat. No. KRANK245LP
Barcode: 796441824519
Released:04/04/2025
The album’s title, New World, Lonely Ride, gestures toward its meditative orientation. The duo offers a series of reflections on the zeitgeist of our present moment, the spirit of our age: the isolation and loneliness that continues to echo in the wake of the pandemic; the fractures that mar our political discourse; the uncertainty that has stamped itself on the future of democracy. The vast geography of America and the absence of a common ground, a shared political vision, have contributed to the affective landscape of contemporary American life—of what it feels like to live in the United States today.
Using instrumental voices and textures drawn from the traditional American forms of folk, country, bluegrass and blues, and informed with a modern sense of ambience and space, the sound is both contemporary and deeply rooted. With New World, Lonely Ride, Grigoni and Pan American join countless American artists who have drawn upon this landscape—physical and affective— giving it a voice and shape, listening to its character. And in starting there, with listening, offer a response for the future.
The band's playing oozes conviction and class, Lifeson's guitar work more inventive and powerful than ever, but it's the talismanic Maiah Wynne - now hailing from San Francisco - who truly defnes Envy of None's sound. With her pensive, deft lyricism and impassioned vocal performance, Wynne pushes Stygian Waves into fresh, mesmerizing territory. The 11 songs on the album mark a signifcant progression in the band's sound, every song meticulously lasered down to its most essential and captivating elements. With the band's very own Alf Annibalini on mixing duties, the songs beneft from an intrinsic understanding of their evolution, his involvement in the writing process ensuring the mix truly captures the essence of their vision. Mastering by Harry Hess at HBomb Mastering (Barenaked Ladies, Billy Talent, Big Wreck) completes the album's fawless sound quality. With Stygian Waves, Envy of None overcomes any challenges typically associated with the notoriously tricky second album. Sharper, tighter and more memorable than anything they've done before, Stygian Waves is the work of a band at the top of their game - and still only just getting started.