ATO

The gonzo “Jonny Corndawg” moniker is gone. What’s left is a guy making music under his given name, Jonny Fritz, who’s also given a name to his brand of music, Dad Country. His ATO debut isn’t aimed at fathers so much, but it sets Fritz up, quite inventively, as the antithesis of an outlaw badass. His contributions to the road-song tradition – “Goodbye Summer” and “Fever Dreams” – spotlight side effects of hedonism, like slogging on with fluid-filled lungs. Fritz, though, devotes more attention to chafing domestic existence, “All We Do Is Complain” and “Trash Day” being two good examples. The hallmark of his songwriting is a piquantly absurd degree of detail that makes his songs feel more believable than mainstream country’s backwoods boilerplate. Plus, his kinetic, indie rock-schooled band – including the members of Dawes – take more fiddle, Tele and steel solos than many currently working country bands. It’s the high register and fractured timbre of his singing that really accentuate his eccentric outsider vantage point.