Late bloomer, Ryan Davis who already played in several folk-rock bands since the late 2000s finally made a splash as Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band – actually, a solo effort with several contributors – reviving the Silver Jews’ verbose ‘alt-country’, perhaps distinguished by a more pensive tone. The sophomore album follows suit with 7 lengthy and ponderous folk-rock reveries occasionally embellished by the band with extra instrumentation and even splatters of electronica. Davis’ baritone, half-spoken lyrics are front and centre, intertwining restless introspection and a sense of societal and personal decay.
He constructs a steady country-rock instrumental on New Threats From the Soul, that sounds both like The Band but also a more optimistic version of the Magnolia Electric Co, especially when the flute accompanies the titular lyric. The music mostly serves to accompany Davis’s Freudian self-analysis, which includes profound ruminations such as “you can see the kingdom from the tailgate if you stack a couple coolers, but you’re never gonna see it from the front of the line”. Monte Carlo/No Limits meanwhile is simple driving folk-rock until a sudden ending of fiddle and kitschy drum’n’bass electronics (yes, you heard that right).
Mutilation Springs sits on a slow and meandering shuffle but ends in effusive flute-driven psychedelia. In this case, Davis attempts a more external and esoteric lyrical style which does not work as well despite his Wilde-ian melancholic wit like, “I can’t remember the last time the good times got so bad”. In this track, one feels that the lyrics would be better read wrote down than in front of the dreamy and shapeless backing track. Mutilation Fails is a reprise of Mutilation Strings but with a slick beat and a more evidently digital feel.
The more cohesive and focused tracks complement better Davis as a solo arranger. The winning formula is confirmed on Better if you Make Me which is in contrast, a classic emotionally complex country ballad with (finally) a strong chorus, backed by some mellow keyboard solos and more energy from the band. The other musical peak is the stately piano-driven The Simple Joy (featuring alt-country legend, Will Oldham) with a refrain that borders heartland rock. Crass Shadows is both the most pastoral and the most digital track with a folktronica atmosphere of echoey midi drums and chirping keyboards adjacent to light accordion and strings, recalling Dirty Projectors and Wilco (something akin to Big Thief’s formula on Dragon New Warm Mountain).
The lyrics steal the show. Davis can fascinate and amuse without losing earnestness. The strength of the arrangements is largely in maintaining the interest of the audience in Davis’ meditations and aphorisms, though there is at least a fun use of a wide range of studio instrumentation such as flute, clavinet, MIDI keyboard, melodica and so forth. (which should draw further comparisons with Jeff Tweedy’s Wilco).
Label: Sophomore Lounge
Released: September 26, 2025
Losing My Edge Rating: 7/10
Best Tracks: The Simple Joy, New Threats From the Soul, Better if You Make Me