With A Dry Scary Blue, Sean Keel was responsible for one of the most beautiful records of 2022. The Austin-based singer-songwriter (and University of Texas mathematics professor) is back with his next album, titled Ferals Welcome—apparently on streaming services since June, but only now available on Bandcamp, which makes me late to the party (although this music is not festive at all). You’ll hear ten raw and fragile indie folk songs with jazzy touches. That means: sparse acoustic guitar or piano strumming and intimate storytelling (“I was scared about bears for good reason // Scared I wouldn’t know how to get laid” – from Laurentian Divide), carried by that characteristic weathered voice. It’s not exactly easy listening, but it moves in a way that music rarely does.
Ferals Welcome, produced by Gabriel Rhodes, is out digitally through Icons Creating Evil Art.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp