Love The Stranger

The vital new album and Merge debut of Friendship, the Philly-via-Maine outfit led by accomplished songwriter Dan Wriggins. A collection of alt-country songs driving the witty, gritty poetry of pioneers like Kath Bloom and Vic Chesnutt across a 21st century DIY terrain. Influenced by their punk and indie peers as much as road-star forebears like Lucinda Williams and Lambchop, Wriggins says of the new album's recording sessions: “We all got to stretch out, chase our personal musical fixations, and build on each others’ work. Bradford Krieger, our engineer at Big Nice Studio, has a mind-blowing creative energy and hundreds (thousands?) of instruments.” He recalls further: “I wanted the album to sound like Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band in the ’70s. Pete wanted it to sound like a semi full of spent fuel rods, barreling towards a runaway truck ramp. Jon kept reminding us that the studio is an instrument, and Michael wanted it to sound like the breakdown two-and-a-half minutes into Shuggie Otis’ ‘Strawberry Letter 23'." Guitarist Peter Gill, drummer Michael Cormier-O’Leary, bassist Jon Samuels, and hawkeyed balladeer Dan Wriggins map out a breathtaking country landscape and invite the listener to share in its glory.