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Dec 07, 2020 Alex Maas By Dom Gourlay

There’s been many a song written by respected artists about their offspring. Some of them charming, others cringe-worthy, but mainly falling in between those two descriptions. So it’s quite refreshing to hear an album not only dedicated to, but also largely inspired by, the birth of a child that speaks candidly from the heart in more ways than one.

Better known as a founder member of Austin psych rock titans The Black Angels, Alex Maas has spent the best part of a decade crafting then honing the songs that would eventually become his debut solo record. However, it was the birth of his son two years ago that shaped the album into being what it is today. Luca serves as a poignant yet well executed document fueled by unconditional love and despair at the current state of the world.

So while it’s not exactly an homage to Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son,” Luca is a distinctly honest and strikingly captivating collection of songs that displays a side of Maas many of his fans may not have previously been aware of. Written and co-produced by Maas alongside Brett Orrison, who’s best known for his work with Jack White, Luca provides an insight into fatherhood and what it’s like trying to navigate a course through the pitfalls and dangers ahead while growing up.

Musically stripped back, with Maas’ vocal at the forefront throughout, Luca is an ambitiously mesmerizing record that demands repeated listens. Whether it be opener “Slip Into”—with its eerie waltz—or the self-confessional “Been Struggling,” this is as autobiographical as it gets from the creator’s perspective. “Special” (“With your hand in my hand, and your cheeks next to my cheeks”) and “500 Dreams” (“When we wake up, I’ll be looking at you, smiling at me”) both convey messages of unconditional fatherly love that most people with children can immediately relate to. While “American Conquest” focuses on the present and “The City” looks to the future (“That’s a city that’s ripe for the taking”), before bringing Luca to an affirmative ending, one suspects Maas’ son will look back on this record with pride when he’s old enough to understand. (www.alexmaas.bandcamp.com/album/luca)

Author rating: 8/10