Album of the Week: The Suitcase Junket’s Pile Driver

A one-man band is so mystifying. How do they create so many sounds? How do they mimic a full band so well? A bunch of questions come to mind when a musician is playing multiple instruments at once. Enter Matt Lorenz and his music project The Suitcase Junket. This fuzz-folk enigma is releasing his fifth album, Pile Driver, on April 21 and it’s incredible. It has dirty blues tones and a whole lot of soul that make for a gem of a record.

Lorenz refers to his music as “Swamp Yankee” and the Massachusetts artist lives up to his adopted style with muddy and distorted riffs. He brings about a distinct sludgy tone with each track off of Pile Driver. It’s a plethora of nastiness to go with his down-home aesthetic that’s honest and heartfelt. While listening to the album, it’s hard to believe that Lorenz is making the sounds by himself. That’s the artistic beauty and wonder that comes with a one-man band, and it never ceases to amaze.

The crazy thing about The Suitcase Junket is that there is no looping. A lot of one-person acts rely on that particular mechanism and Lorenz doesn’t. It’s purely organic and it’s what makes Pile Driver even more impressive. It’s genuinely amazing and there’s no nonsense that accompanies it. Let’s get into the amazement even more by taking a look at my top tracks off of the Album of the Week:

That dirty distortion is best exemplified with “Jackie,” a bluesy tune that has a catchy chorus, and Lorenz’s sludgy riffs make their presence felt. “Evangeline” has a beat anchoring it that carries the entire song, and the track also highlights Lorenz’s immense vocal range. With an electronic vibe, “Beta Star” is a rhythmic jam that’s bound to make people dance.

The Suitcase Junket will be making its presence felt at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass., with Caroline Rose on May 31. It should be a wild time seeing Lorenz doing his thing with numerous instruments. You should also grab a copy of Pile Driver while you’re there. It’s a gem of an album that’s guaranteed to shine through your senses.

Stream “Evangeline” via Bandcamp: thesuitcasejunket.bandcamp.com/track/evangeline

The Suitcase Junket web site: www.thesuitcasejunket.com