Without any prior knowledge, I clicked on the next new release from the listening stack (with some skepticism given the album title), but a few songs in I found myself exclaiming out loud: “Man, this is fun!” It concerns Last Cowboy on the Prairie, the debut solo record from Patton Magee, whose charming vocals (and his yearning guitar and harmonica playing) you know from his role as frontman of The Nude Party.
The fifteen songs here trade garage rock for a well-worn saddle, riding wide through the Americana frontier. From Arizona ballads and Lou Reed-esque street smarts to bayou boogie and sun-soaked neo-psych, the Texas-born/New York-based traveler spins tales of heartbreak and highway life with swagger and soul. It’s a panoramic blend—half dusty trail songs, half subway grit—stitched together with the humor and heart of a true American rambler.
Put on a big straw hat and let that ‘Cuntry Brat summer’ kick off!
Last Cowboy on the Prairie, produced and engineered by Hunter Davidsohn, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Nudie Records. Also featuring Luke Fedorko, Adam Amram, Russell Hymowitz, Collin Rocker, Hunter Davidsohn, David Magee, Kailey Rocker, Joe Nester, Isaac Candelario, Laura Jean Anderson, Alana Amram, Bobbie Lovesong, Alec Peyton, Steph Jacco, Jon “Catfish” Delorme, Brian Hurd, Josephine, Josh Cooper, Daniel Thomas, Spenser Naess, Zachary Merrill, and Shaun Couture.