Stream: Nick Waterhouse, ‘This Is a Game’

Kevin Bronson on January 9th, 2014

0

Sonic time traveler Nick Waterhouse is still partying like it’s 1956, but on his forthcoming sophomore release “Holly,” the O.C.-bred singer-songwriter-producer is doing something that was unheard of in the rock ’n’ roll’s golden age: Make a concept album. In today’s blast announcing that “Holly” would be out March 4 on Innovative Leisure, Waterhouse explains: “Thematically this record feels more like a novella, or poem with sections, or even a film, than a collection of songs. It is a work of fiction, with a protagonist, but also a floating omniscient narrator, and fragments of conversation from other characters. I was heavily influenced by my surroundings in young Los Angeles, as well as the concept of fate.â€ The album, produced by Kevin Augunas, features contributions from the likes of Ty Segall, Young Holt Trio and Mose Allison. And from the howling sax to the swirling organ to his vintage blues guitar licks, the first single “This Is a Game” is akin to a three-minute history lesson. Procure on vinyl.

||| Stream: “This Is a Game”