Premiere: Ryan Thompson & the Delicate Hounds finally cut the cords on ‘Stop’

The moment you reclaim your life is like a lightning strike on an old oak tree. It splits right down the middle, but somehow, that sacrificially-charged act is replenishing. You’ve been trampled down and suffocated for long enough, and while mustering up courage can take a lot outta you, the long-term will be much better for it. Feeling life’s transitory space soften underneath his feet, Sacramento’s Americana singer and songwriter Ryan Thompson ⏤ frontman of Ryan Thompson & the Delicate Hounds ⏤ locks and loads words he’s long suppressed inside his chest. “I don’t mind if you don’t mind / That I don’t care at all / I can’t prepare for your warfare / It was never fair at all,” he dices up his anger in digestible chunks, blending it together with rock-bent production and a western vocal tick. “Stop,” premiering today, sticks and pricks the gum line and evokes strength and retaliation, as he twists the blade deeper and he finds himself once again.

The other side shines and twinkles as he expected, but the euphoria is even grander and softer against his skin. “Hey! Now there is something I gotta know / When did it show / That my highest card was low?,” he stokes the flames further, limitations of self-inflicted judgements cast in the wind. Vast influences stretch from Hayes Carll to Death Cab for Cutie, lyrics tight and bound with music that operates under indie-rock and sun-marinated Americana, and Thompson’s songcraft is unequivocally specific to his winding journey and pointed outward into the universe. He bares his heart to not only confront himself and his shortcomings but to provoke us to dissect and analyze our own, too. But all astounding music works that way.

On “Stop,” Thompson writes to B-Sides & Badlands over email,  “‘Stop’ is about finally standing up for yourself in a situation that has been going on for too long. You’ve been bullied, pushed around or just been putting in more than you’re getting out of a relationship,” he says. “This is the outcry in the middle of a conversation to finally say, ‘Shut up and let me talk.’ It deals with the power of that moment and also the self-doubt that can come to light once you finally express yourself.”

Thompson prepares his debut album, Waiting on a Ghost, out May 24, and it’s a sobering picture-book expected to finally plant his flag at the heart of the Americana scene. Through his career, he’s formed various musical endeavors, from a ’90s-inspired alternative band to Million Dollar Giveaway, but his thirst for creative accomplishment is finally satiated with his impending bombshell. Producer Max Hart ⏤ known for working with The War on Drugs and We Are Scientists, as well as his gig as keyboardist/guitarist for rock trailblazer Melissa Etheridge ⏤ coats the songs with ample amounts of warmth and dust, the production having nearly the same potency as Thompson’s own vocals.

Waiting on a Ghost is up now for pre-order.

Listen below:

Check out some upcoming live dates:

May 9 – Sacramento, CA – Torch Club (with JW Teller)

May 24 – Sacramento, CA – Torchfest 2019

May 25 – Sutter Creek, CA – Sutter Creek Provisions (Record Release Show)

June 29 – Sacramento, CA – Side Door

Photo Credit: Ryan Thompson

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