File Anytime Cowboy under bands that coulda/shoulda made the wantlist earlier—because with Slab Songs, we’re officially making good on that. The new album blends slack rock, outsider country, and dark post-punk into something that feels slightly off-kilter in all the right ways.

The musical project of illustrator Reuben Sawyer sounds unsettling, but never alienating. The vocals feel warped, like they’re spinning on an unreliable record player, and that fragility is very much a feature, not a bug. Slab Songs is laid-back without drifting into boredom; in fact, it’s surprisingly vibrant and colorful beneath its dusted-over surface. That energy matches the artwork perfectly: stark black-and-white backdrops interrupted by oddly drawn cowboys splashed in bold, strange colors.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp