Amos The Kid
The announcement of Amos the Kid’s debut LP, Enough as it Was, follows the remarkable rise of Winnipeg’s Amos Nadlersmith from reclusive songwriter to hometown hero. Only a few years have passed since the not-quite-country musician was playing the odd diamond-in-the-rough set in a half-empty bar; now, he’s a stop-him-in-the-street performer playing for sold out crowds of hundreds and readying one of the “most anticipated Canadian albums of 2023” (Exclaim!). Enough as it Was arrives May 5 on House of Wonders Records.
The record sees Nadlersmith fully flesh out the corners of his sonic world; his indie-tinged-country rock is burnished for the first time by grungier undertones, somehow managing to be both incisive and feel-good—matching the energy of his live show. The album’s centerpiece is its title track, a startlingly off-kilter and warped vision of country music that stands unique in his catalogue, and perhaps in popular music at large; a kinetic, swaying blend of roots instrumentation and chopped percussive samples that progresses towards an unexpected and explosive finale.
Enough as it Was was produced, engineered and mixed by Adam Fuhr (Yes We Mystic, Virgo Rising, Tinge), mastered by Cam Loeppky (The Weakerthans, Constantines).
Tired Cossack
Post-punk, shoegaze-inspired indie rock, and the odd alt-country twang combine in Tired Cossack. Coming from Winnipeg, Canada, he demonstrates an ability to use simple and upbeat music to break musical conventions. His songs flow like a meandering path devoid of care. Themes of joy and melancholy mix with intense, cold industrial rhythms meeting clever songwriting with nods to Ukrainian folklore.