Josh Martin, the former drummer for stoner-rock band Pearls And Brass, had a nice little run there in the 2010s after rebranding himself as Daughn Gibson. Under that moniker, Martin released three albums of noir-ish, electronics-infused country music that leaned into his real-life backstory as a truck driver and a dark gothic surrealism that basically demanded to be described as "Lynchian."
After breaking through with 2012 debut All Hell, Gibson put out two more albums for Sub Pop, then disappeared for a while. He returned from the wilderness in 2022 with an EP called Kriminelle Energie, and last year he gave us the loosie "Dying's Fine…The Pain's In Trying To Stay Here," a tribute to his late friend Kyle. All Hell reappeared on streaming services recently, to the delight of Daughn Gibson OGs. Now comes news of his first full-length album in 11 years.
That album is called Lake Mary not mysterious. It's out in May, and its lead single "Sacred Life" is extremely promising. The bleary electronic beats are scaled back here in favor of a space-age countrypolitan sound that lets Gibson's baritone truly shine. It's like if former tourmates the National and the War On Drugs made a synth-heavy country song, except Gibson's charisma is such that I think you'll enjoy it even if you can't stand the National or the War On Drugs.
"Don’t wanna be famous/ Don’t want a sacred life," Gibson sings. "Don’t want a big man to shake your hand/ All you wants a second chance." This is the kind of track that might earn Daughn Gibson that kind of renaissance. Hear "Sacred Life" below along with last year's one-off track.
TRACKLIST:
01 "So Good, I Was"
02 "Cocoa Beach"
03 "Sacred Life"
04 "Quang Nam"
05 "Last Night At Sugar's Bar"
06 "Wide Open Lines"
07 "Dead In The Ballroom"
08 "Saint Paul"
09 "Cold Lie"
10 "Bala Cynwood"
Lake Mary not mysterious is out 5/8. Pre-order it here.
