Earlier this year, Apex Manor, aka vocalist and guitarist Ross Flournoy, made his commanding return with a single titled “Asked & Answered,” the opening track from his first new album in eight years, Heartbreak City. Flournoy says of the record, “Conceptually, the record really explores variations on the theme of rejection and the different ways people react to it, especially the isolation—either by choice or by circumstance—that can sometimes follow.” Flournoy, is joined by drummer Dan Allaire of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and bassist Rob Barbato, spent less than two weeks in the studio before completing the new album through live-in-studio recordings
Happy release day to Apex Manor “Heartbreak City”, the second solo album from Ross Flournoy (of The Broken West) is available on CD and red Peak Vinyl in the Merge store.
Requiring less than two weeks of studio time to complete, it’s accurate to say that Heartbreak City was captured more than it was recorded due to the “everybody in the same room” live sessions featuring songwriter Ross Flournoy on guitar and vocals, Dan Allaire (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums, and Rob Barbato on bass and production duties. The raucous result is a sonic spectacle that cleverly balances aggressive Dinosaur Jr.-esque guitars with dreamy synth work that’s reminiscent of The Cure, all mixed together with spirited instrumental performances, nuanced melodicism, and lyrics that swing wildly between being cryptic and being profound. In short, it’s everything there is to love about early ’90s pre-commercialized alternative rock but with a refreshingly modern absence of pretense or nostalgia.
From the album Heartbreak City, out May 31, 2019 on Merge Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 