Sometimes, a singer-songwriter is only as good as their famous fans. The likes of Ezra Furman and Marc Riley both adore scrappy U.S. folk indie hero and comic book guy Jeffrey Lewis, though Lewis has never quite scaled the heights of the former for me (or plumbed the ridiculous depths of The Creepers for the latter). Rather, his deadpan, man-out-of-time schtick recalls, variously, an American Art Brut, a lo-fi Lou Reed, and mid-era Jonathan Richman. This can be both a blessing and a curse – you’re never sure quite what he’ll serve up next.
Produced by Roger Moutenot, known for his work with Yo La Tengo, it was recorded in Nashville in just four days, giving an immediacy to tracks like ‘Just Fun’, ‘ 100 Good Things’ and the psych-tinged ‘Relaxation ‘, all nimbly backed up by his fine band The Voltage. But better yet is the sweary singalong anti-chorus of “Oww…fuck… that hurts” in ‘Sometimes Life Hits You’, which won’t guarantee daytime radio airplay, but will be a beery beast at summer festivals.
It’s not vintage Lewis by any means, but, as the cheeky nude homage to Bob Dylan on the cover suggests, another album will surely follow. A little Lewis as ever goes a long way. It’ll be immensely enjoyable live, too, the snarky optimism a welcome antidote to the toxicity of the second Trump administration.