Texas-based, Canadian-born — Scott Klein makes raw alt-folk Americana with a dark, cinematic pull. His new record is his most dangerous yet, sharper and sexier than anything he’s released before. This isn’t a singer-songwriter record. It’s a slow-burn thriller you can dance to.
His new material opens with “Sugar Baby,” a glossy, unflinching song about falling for a performance instead of a person — sweet on the surface, sharp underneath, built around the moment an illusion breaks apart for good. It was produced by Jamey Koch, whose credits include work with Vancouver punk institution D.O.A. and sessions alongside Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip, recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver’s Gastown, with pre-production in Austin, Texas by Jonathan Tyler of Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. From there comes “China White,” produced by Coltin Turner in Austin with his brother Zane Turner of The Mellows — a rawer, feral turn toward proto-punk snarl. “Paper Cigarette,” steeped in the appetite of Parisian nights, explores the ache of lust and detachment; it was recorded with Shakey Graves producer and RIAA Gold-certified Chris “Boo” Boosahda, and co-produced by Jonathan Tyler, known for his work with Nikki Lane, Paul Cauthen, and Reckless Kelly, with John Michael of Night Glitter on bass. “Hey Lady” closes the run with a stark portrayal of a prairie woman, dulled by addiction and trapped by silence, reaching for a way out — Erica Maier of The Garrys lends haunting lead vocal harmonies, accompanied by other members or ex-members of Deep Dark Woods, with Lucas Goetz driving the pulse on drums and lap steel and Chris Mason holding it down on bass.
That evolution builds on the world Klein first staked out on his debut album, Jesse’s Hotel — featuring Leot Hanson of The Sheepdogs — which earned underground success and a nomination at the Saskatchewan Music Awards
Taken together, it’s a catalog that hasn’t lost its haunted, cinematic core even as it’s gotten louder — Southern Gothic instincts pushed toward something sharper, sexier, and harder to shake.
