Arak James grew up hating country music. He lived and breathed punk, playing (and still playing If I’m not mistaken) in Glue and Institute. But currently, Arak James loves his country music too, and he recently released a very special LP on ever/never Records.

And I don’t mean special in the way we sometimes use the word when we really mean weird, awkward or, frankly, not very good. West Of Around is special because Arak James refuses to play it straight. Clearly, he can do classic country really well, as demonstrated by the amazing Pretty Round. But some of the material here, like Lackadaisy, feels more like a dream than a song. Into The Sun/Oror starts with what sounds like one of those sleep toys you put next to a toddler to help them drift off. Some songs contain no singing at all, just whispers, talking or reciting.

And somehow, it all works. West Of Around keeps taking turns you don’t expect, refusing to settle comfortably into classic country or anything else for that matter. It makes for a strange, beautiful and genuinely interesting record that stands out from the crowd.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp