There’s always been a bit of seediness in American culture and Steakhouse have managed to translate some of that destitution into digestible little snippets on their upcoming album Amer Rouge. The title directly calls out all the ways the color red serves as a signifier for what or who you might want to keep your eyes on: think MAGA hats, Marlboro advertising, blood, debt and really anything that attempts large-scale pervasiveness. They shrink the large scale into more digestible bits, as each song is a vignette—a small look into the many ways people just try to maintain some semblance of personhood, even if in the most terrible of ways. Some of the stories aren’t wholly sad and downtrodden though—Steakhouse know how to find the humor in what’s too messed up not to laugh at (just look at “Federale”, “Travolta” and “No. 1” for example), but they can still reel it in with a sucker punch to the face of reality. Fans of Black Flag’s “White Minority” may feel a little resemblance in their “National”, as a somewhat militant hymn born out of the aggressively divisive, violent and myopic nature of our political climate. It hits all too close to home because it is close to home.
Bear in mind—Steakhouse are like anthropological musicians, working through the eyes of observation more than any tales from a personal stance. Infusing Amer Rouge with lyrical satire based on everyday experiences helped fill each track with an extra oomph of actuality. It’s just as easy to see the humor in it as it is the tragedy, since both are something we’ve all been more than primed to recognize. Wrapping these realities in a blend of post-punk, krautrock and Americana makes for a palatable pill to aurally swallow, though a bit more harsh and in your face than their last album.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for the band’s new single “Shoot the Lights Out” ahead of its official release on November 9th. The tune finds the San Francisco post-punk outfit dropping into a hazy and twangified country-rock noir that also brings to mind acts like the Smiths and Richard and Linda Thompson. Bringing these unlikely elements together is a breezy acoustic, sticky bass, and brooding vocal track that feels like krautrock meets jangle pop with a strong country undertone.
Reid Black describes the inspiration and process behind the song:
“This song popped out in two brief episodes. The verse, just two chords played one way and then in reverse, happened while waiting to track drums for our first record. I still have the phone memo. Then the chorus happened in Mark’s kitchen a while later, also without much thought. It’s always been the “pretty song” in the Steakhouse set (the only pretty song). And the title is a nod to the great Richard & Linda Thompson LP, Shoot Out the Lights.”
WATCH:
