Sarah Shook & the Disarmers - Sidelong (2017)

Country doesn’t really sound like country anymore. What’s most recognizable as ‘country’ these days are radio-ready power ballads that may have a twangy guitar or vocal, but with none of the grit and all of the melodrama. It takes work to find music that’s rugged and outlaw-ish, sounding like it’s been workshopped on the road in the back of clubs across the South over a bottle of whiskey. Luckily with Sidelong, the debut album from Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, that sound is extant and very much alive.

The North Carolina natives have been together in some form or another since 2013, and their debut is 12 tracks of something that just feels country. This is apparent from the opening track, “Keep The Home Fires Burnin’,” a barroom raver propelled by Shook’s Dylan-in-Greenwich delivery crossed with a voice that resembles the power and command of Patti Smith. It’s quickly followed by the “The Nail,” which Shook details what sounds like a disintegrating relationship. It’s put down after put down leading into the chorus: “I can’t decide which one of us will be the nail in this here coffin.” It’s a song that feels a little unserious, complete with an over-the-top guitar solo.

Sidelong is full of great moments that seem to defy genre, such as the album’s title track. It’s beautiful ballad full of sinewy lead electric and slide guitars, and feels like more of a reflection than making a statement. The poignancy is clear in the lines: “I don’t need anyone to set my world on fire/I’d rather die all alone than settle for a liar.” Those are lines that anyone who has ever been in love and been disappointed can relate to. That is the hallmark of a simply great sad song. It is a moment where both Shook and the band truly sparkle.

The austerity in songs like “No Name” is the kind that wouldn’t be out of place on an American Recordings release, while “Fuck Up,” is about someone who “never makes mistakes, just fuck ups,” a mid-tempo anthem that is tailor-made for club sing-a-longs. On that same front “Misery Without Company,” a song about sobering up features some great guitar interplay, sounds like it would fit great in the middle of a live set.

What’s special about Sidelong and Sarah Shook & the Disarmers is that they’re a band without pretense. These are songs that are built to last, by a band completely confident in their ability. Shook’s voice is the kind that doesn’t exist anywhere else, and within a few years’ time if she’s not in demand to guest on songs by her contemporaries it will be a shame. Both her and the Disarmers are a group that have already come into their own. From here, their possibilities as a band are limitless.