As it stands right now, we are already at war with ourselves regarding the RNRF end of the year best list… which is not only 6 months out from having to be finished but also neglecting all the other records still to come in 2025. The problem is there are about 4 or 5 records that dropped between May or June (Or in one case, we received the promo in June but the record isn’t due until October) that we’re pretty sure are all going to be vying for the top spot on that incoming list. And if all this rigamarole/exposition wasn’t a tell already, Buick Audra’s upcoming new solo album is one of ’em.
If the only thing you know Buick Audra from is Friendship Commanders (Getting back to that opening rant, FC’s MASS took the top spot in our ’23 end of the year post) then her solo output might come as a revelation. Hell, even if you ARE familiar with Audra’s solo work, Buick’s fourth LP ADULT CHILD might still come as a revelation. In a way sounding like a combination of all that’s come before yet wholly something new (It does help that FC drummer Jerry Roe plays on most of AC as well), ADULT CHILD takes Audra’s revelatory lyrics and pairs them with genre-blending sounds that range from classic rawk and modern Indie/Alternative to Folk and Country and a little bit of everything in between.
“The Worst People Win” is an Alternative/Indie anthem with Audra’s fierce voice (And guitars) piercing the sounds that Roe (Drums), Kris Donegan (Guitars), and Lex Price (Bass) lay down while lead single “Questions For The Gods Of Human Behavior” is built off a harmonious rhythmic hum out of Price and Roe and, getting back to our revelatory comments earlier, a defining sound of what’s to come on the album. The only problem with getting a record early, or earlier than when all the singles are rolled out, is we tend to focus on the whole instead of the pieces but we were (And are) ENAMORED with “Questions For The Gods Of Human Behavior” when it was initially released because as fans of both Audra’s writings and recorded work, it just sounded so different and even more raw than what’s out there on previous solo albums or across the Friendship Commanders catalog.
Anyway!
“Yellow” sees Roe’s usually bombastic beats scaled back to subtle snare rolls with Audra soulfully crooning “I hate myself/But that’s not what I really meant” in the sweetest way possible as Buick “explores a habit of saying demeaning things about herself in front of other people” and then “One-Step Close-Up” adds some Country elements and keeps up the ADULT CHILD trend of crafting catchy yet cathartic “sonic collages” that are all equally intimate and inimitable. On that note, one in particular and one that immediately stood out to us in our initial listen through ADULT CHILD ahead of its’ recent release as a single, “It All Belonged To Me” tones back the temperature but not the intent with a quieter outing as Audra speaks on her complicated relationship with Miami which is, per social media posts and the press release, “a place she loves and aches for from a distance, but avoids due to estrangement from a parent who still lives there”.
“Losing My Courage” goes acapella on this layered voice-centric piece (If you weren’t aware, we’re huge Streets Of Fire fans and the harmonies here at points happily remind us of the ones on “Countdown To Love” by fictional band The Sorels) and is this serene mixture of Motown and a Southern Baptist Hymn with “Firstborn” bringing back the acoustic guitars and a hushed thumping as Audra’s voice serenades like a lullaby. Similar to the closing of Friendship Commanders’ MASS (Did we mention that that record was our favorite of 2023 already???), ADULT CHILD ends with the poignant spoken word message of “A List” that, as perennial grudge-masters ourselves, speaks on forgiving but never forgetting.
ADULT CHILD arrives on June 13th through Trimming The Shield Records with pre-order/pre-save options available now to peruse and/or purchase when you head here. For more from Audra (And Friendship Commanders!), including upcoming live solo performances which kick off at The Basement in Nashville on release night with special guest Grant-Lee Phillips, hit the information superhighway by clicking here, here, here, or here.