American Culture - For My Animals (2021)

Colorado's American Culture return after a six-year gap to deliver For My Animals, a raw but comforting paean to the D.I.Y. underworld of basement shows, handmade merch, and the unbreakable community of outsiders who are the lifeblood of true independent music. Formed in 2013 and fronted by Denver indie stalwart Chris Adolf, the band has one full-length, Pure American Gum, to their credit, as well as a series of sessions with K Records honcho Calvin Johnson. Adolf's affection for the underground scene stems from a career spent touring the great American D.I.Y. circuit of house concerts, makeshift clubs, and everything in between. His love for these connections made and stories accumulated can be heard among the scratchy textures and lo-fi hiss of the blaring title cut, the melodic "Pedals," and the vividly descriptive "Drug Dealer's House." So unlike the zoomed-out mainstream, American Culture is concerned with the anxieties of having chosen a less conventional life and of suffering its demons while celebrating its freedoms. It's hard to find a more honest depiction of basic indie touring life than "Hello, I'm friends with Paul and he told me I could sleep here," an all-too-familiar lyric from album standout "No Peace." Thematic content aside, what keeps For My Animals consistently interesting is the diverse palette within its sonic confines. American Culture's mix of harsh punk clatter, mellow jangle, dub, and observational mysticism makes for an intriguing tangle of mood and emotions. True to the umbrella spirit of their name, they represent a lot more than can be summed up by a single banal tag.