Perry Serpa’s latest, Laying Low in The Highlands, is definitely a COVID record. I mean, the first song that opens the record is called “Out of Purell.” But it’s also definitely not just a COVID album. It’s about acknowledging the fact that everyone is suffering, often times alone, and it took a global pandemic to slow the world down, force people to stay at home and, for many, think about what’s been going on in their lives for the first time in a while.
“Like you, I’ve spent the past several months unpacking the events of the past few years in all of its spectacle and confusion,” said Serpa. “And not just COVID. I mean, yes, COVID, but we also, (and not just the Americans), had to suffer the unsightly countenance and sloppy-mouthed utterances of a scaly man-baby, who shall remain nameless, but like myself, is also unfortunately from the borough of Queens.”
It’s with that mindset, that Serpa – best known by most for his time in the beautiful chamber pop band The Sharp Things – set about writing this album. From the stunning instrumental that opens the record through nine more deeply compelling pop/symphonic tracks Serpa manages to harness the collective sadness of loss we’ve all felt and offer hints of optimism here and there (specifically on the lush “Shadow of the Delacorte”). The album is decidedly a headphones record; an album that demands all of your attention but more than makes up for that dedication.
Almost entirely a solo effort, with Serpa singing everything here, he also plays most of the instruments with the exception of Claudia Chopek, playing violin and viola and Ron Raymond, who plays pedal steel, mandolin and some electric guitar. Along with Serpa’s own material, there is an inspired cover of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 50-year-old pop tune “All Alone Naturally,” that has never before sounded so timely. The album ends on another optimistic note with the endearing “We’ll Live in the Light.” Laying Low in the Highlands is certainly not a breezy record to throw on as background music for other activities, but it’s a deeply satisfying album that is as good as it is thoughtful.
