Minneapolis songwriter Andy Cook’s new EP, Modern Man, is an atmospheric reflection on life in the digital age. Musically, it converges somewhere between the indie rock and Americana scenes, meshing together glistening, guitar-centric refrains with the sort-of ethereal overall production that is often heard in the echoes of desert noir. It’s not too off-the-mark to relate Cook’s dusty-cool style to the likes of Kurt Vile, although he’s less about developing characters out of their umbras and more about more forwardly relaying his thoughts regarding the world around him.
It’s not to say that Cook means to be hypercritical on his new single, “Run”, but that it’s certainly an expression of his own life experiences. As his aching croon drones across the song’s drawn-out chorus, a swath of rock-centric instrumentation swirling around him, Cook’s searing, longing look back on life comes full-circle. It’s a tad cynical, sure, but all-too-real, still offering a certain smidgen of hope alongside the darkness that keeps listening to the Cook’s performance a pleasant experience to revisit more than a few times over.
Modern Man is releasing on 13 April on Good Eye.