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Music

Colter Wall's Timeless Storytelling Will Make You Want to Hop a Freight Train

The Canadian country artist's Dave Cobb-produced self-titled debut is slow, but never drags.
Photo by Melissa Stilwell

"Sometimes I get to thinking / Why wait around to die?" asks Saskatchewan native Colter Wall on "Codeine Dream," the second song off his self-titled debut. Mixing influences like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly, the record showcases Wall's talent to a T, moving slowly but never dragging. From murder ballad "Kate McCannon" to the aforementioned "Codeine Dream," the follow up to his 2015 EP, Imaginary Appalachia blends modern storytelling with backwoods tales of suffering and survival. With grizzled vocals and a world-weary attitude, Wall's songwriting invokes images of an Old West rambling man who's traveled the world, only to find everyone is suffering just the same as him.

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"This record is comprised of both true stories from my own personal life and fictional folk tales," Wall told Noisey. "Its certainly the most autobiographical record I've put out yet."

If Wall is the future of country music, I want that future now. The album is out May 12 on Thirty Tigers.