Matt Moran - The Ba'ar (2025)

In some circles, the term “alternative country” has been pushed out by the more wide-open descriptor “Americana.” But alt-country still has a place, describing music that has as much edge as it does twang. Oklahoman Matt Moran definitely lives up to that with his first full album recorded with his band, the Palominos. The Ba’ar follows Moran’s 2022 solo release, Heartache Kid, and the tight four-piece band gives Moran’s songs the edge they deserve.

The Ba’ar’s lead track, “Every Drink You Take,” displays Moran’s love of 90s alt-rock. Boosted by harmonica and backing vocals from twin brother/keyboard player Daniel Moran, the song rejoices in finally leaving a toxic partner – “I laid it on the line/You cursed my name a hundred times/Swore I was the one who was wrong.” “Roll On” leans fully into 90s alt-rock jangle, opening with clean electric guitar, slowly building as Moran seeks both friends and a place to play – “And there’s a bar in the Ohio River Valley/They got some folks there say they want to hear my songs.”

Moran can dish out the twang, too. “New Old Bad Habit” is, first off, an excellent country song title, and Moran matches it up with a waltzy, piano-and-fiddle take on (hopefully) shedding unneeded baggage – “If you want it you can have it/’Cause I don’t think I can take/Any more dead weight than I’m already packing.” The nature of that weight is spelled out more clearly in “House Fire,” a spare, desolate look at addiction and codependence that sound like a come-on before pulling a gruesome bait-and-switch – “Honey, I want to take you/To the places you’ve never been/Like a mattress on the living room floor/Of a one bedroom apartment.” The love is a little bit warmer in “Comanchero,” a cinematic Tex-Mex tune that finds Moran expressing unkillable (if a bit illicit) affection – “Baby you know that I’ll beg steal and borrow/Stay one step ahead of the law/Baby, you know I always come when you call.” That’s the kind of edge displayed by Moran and his rough-hewn, deeply worn characters on The Ba’ar – they might mess up, and their motivations may not be pure, but they still manage to get shit done.

Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Airplanes and Oxygen Masks” – This Gaslight Anthem-ish rocker has Moran reminding himself of not just his necessity to those closest to him, but of his own intrinsic value – “Can’t be no good to nobody/If you ain’t worth a damn/I know that I’m worth a damn.”