Cutler Station’s “I Wanna Build a New Machine” Available on July 31
Cutler Station fans have been eagerly awaiting the band’s fourth album, “I Wanna Build a New Machine” (or IWBANM for short) since it was first announced last year. The highly anticipated album comes out on July 31, though you can snag an early listen over at WOUB.
Named for the closest thing to a convenience store that one would find near the band’s hometown of Vincent, OH, Cutler Station features brothers John Evans (bass, vocals) and Kirby Evans (keys, guitar, vocals), Steve Lipscomb (keys, guitar, vocals), Jason Swiger (drums), and John Borchard (pedals steel, baritone guitar, sitar). Most of the band’s members have known each other for decades.
“I Wanna Build a New Machine” features ten original songs that stay true to the cult classic band’s signature sound – which is, to be honest, difficult to pin down. Equal parts psychedelic indie pop-rock and steely Southeastern Ohio twang, the album’s sound remains upbeat and infectious even when the lyrics are hitting on more serious subject matter. The album was mixed by Kenny Miles of Fat Baby Studios and features artwork by Appalachian artist, Chris DeMaria.
The album’s title track kicks things off and sets the tone with dystopian lyrics like “We’re on a one way runaway never ending buffet. And it’s doomsday throw away cancel culture café,” backed by dreamy pedal steel. The band’s sophisticated (but not heady) approach to songwriting once again pays off. These songs are smart and approachable, catchy and layered.
“Our Love is Particles,” “Big Brother’s Little Sister,” and “Things Ain’t What They Seem” give me Ha Ha Tonka vibes – another band from rural America whose sound transcends the stereotypes.
I wasn’t surprised that “Keith” and “Carol Smokes” were favorite tracks; I’m not sure either will replace “Midwest Moms” as my favorite Cutler Station song, but both songs up there. Emily Votaw, master reviewer at WOUB, said it best: “Cutler Station has always excelled at portraits of people we probably don’t know, but often feel like we could…’I Wanna Build a New Machine’ features two such songs. First the chronically unbothered ‘Keith,’ then the chronically bothered Carol of ‘Carol Smokes.’”
Despite the seriousness of the songs, this album is FUN. On my second listen, I was already singing along. The beauty of a genre-bending band like Cutler Station is that there really is something for everyone. Or, at least for most. At 39 minutes long, the beginning-to-end listen flies by, but it’s an enjoyable ride.
“Some of the songs are rooted in social issues such as poverty, living wages for the working class, and our current political climate while others chronicle a shared friend’s love story and how they conjoined their families,” said John Evans, one of the band’s founding members.
Evans said his favorite part of recording this album and the last, “Meat, No Sides” has been receiving tracks from legendary bandmate John Borchard. “Importing John’s tracks into our songs has been the highlight of my time working on these last two albums. John always brings such a fresh take on a melody and really adds some shine to each song,” said Evans. “He’s easily my favorite member of Cutler Station, right behind Jason. Drums are key. If you don’t have a good drummer, your band sucks. Facts. But drummers can be replaced, so don’t get too high up on your horse Jason. But drummers are always the MVP.”
Evans said the songs on IWBANM didn’t get as much road rash as “Meat, No Sides” did. “We had just started the process of writing and performing some of the songs when COVID hit, so we didn’t get to test a lot of these in a live setting as much as we like.” Not that you’d know it, the tracks easily flow from one track to the next, telling a cohesive story.
“We’re still in that nervous state of “is this a good song or not,” said Evans, “so they will probably change and morph a little as we play them out more live. My friend, Kenny Miles, who mixed the album for us, had some great advice for me one time right before a set at Rowdy’s Smokehouse in Jackson, Ohio. He said ‘Making an album is like creating a detailed oil painting and playing a show is like a pencil drawing or a watercolor.’ I try to hold onto that because sometimes, we get stuck in our own way of trying to make [the song] sound like the album, when it can also be this other thing over here. I might have made a lot of that quote up but it was pretty close to that. Probably.”
“I think the album has a nice variety to it and hopefully people enjoy the whole thing, front to back,” said Evans. “If not, well you can rest easy knowing a new Cutler Station album is already in the works. The next album is always my favorite.”
Cutler Station will celebrate the release of “I Wanna Build a New Machine” with a show at Monster’s Horde in Marietta on July 31 at 6:30 p.m. You can also catch the band at the Huntington Music and Arts Festival Sock Hop on August 31. As of July 31, the album will be streaming on all platforms.
You can find “I Wanna Build a New Machine” on vinyl at Clutch Collective as of July 31. We also have limited copies of the band’s earlier albums, “Cutler Station,” “Happy Campers,” and “Meat, No Sides.”