Dad Country is the ersatz debut of Jonny Fritz, but it’s actually his third album: He recorded the first two under the name Jonny Corndawg. I enjoyed his 2011 album Down on the Bikini Line, but it’s so much slighter, so much sillier and more risqué, that at first I didn’t connect the two. From the new album’s first seconds, Jonny Fritz sounds more intense and pained.

“Goodbye Summer” opens the record cheerfully — the guy seems like he’s having fun, even if he’s a little wasted. Although the pace remains generally upbeat and Fritz’s tenor stays fairly bright, the underlying mood is darker.

In “Fever Dreams,” a song about having the flu, Fritz wails about wanting to call his manager. And when you listen closely, you realize this record could be classified as that cliché of clichés: a plaint about the musician’s life. And yet Fritz often makes his songs — about hanging with the wrong crowd and driving 250 miles to a hometown that’s lost to him forever — seem pretty universal.

According to Fritz, this album has a backstory: the year he spent trying to salvage the relationship memorialized here in at least three songs. One is called “Shut Up”; another is “Have You Ever Wanted to Die?” But tempos being what they are, the saddest track of all is the slowest, “All We Do Is Complain.” Fritz isn’t silly anymore.

Pick up your copy today at a store near you, through this website, at a show or online at iTunes or Amazon.com.

Enjoy!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dad-country/id616433869

Hi Friends,

I am very happy to announce that we finally found a home for Dad Country. It’s a big one with a yard and a swing and a pool and a sand box. The neighborhood is friendly, the school district is great, there are lots of little shops and cafes close by and we just love it. The best part is that ATO Records is releasing the record in the USA on April 16th and Loose Records is releasing the record in Europe on April 15th!!

Thank you all so very much for painstakingly waiting, I’m sorry it’s taken so long but I am really glad we didn’t settle for anything less than the best. ATO & Loose Records is home to lots of incredible bands; like Alabama Shakes, Caitlin Rose, My Morning Jacket, Dawes, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucero and lots of othern’s. We are in good hands and couldn’t be happier about the move.
Love,
Jonny

PS. Check out the free download of ‘Ain’t It Your Birthday’ in the box to the right or go here. Hope you enjoy!