The number seven can have connotations of change and Massy Ferguson have fully embraced the notion. Across six albums, many shows and numerous overseas trips, this Seattle band cut a familiar and straight up sound flowing right to the core of fans smitten by good quality country rock. Maybe they have earned the right for an experimental delve that certainly provokes a reaction from established ears. Eleven tracks entering the world as the entity of YOU CAN’T TELL ME I’M NOT WHAT I USED TO BE rarely settle on a defining pivot and immediately rip up the Massy playbook. Preconception does play a part in forming an early evaluation and thus time may be required to fully align with the rhythm and mood of the record.
By pure numbers, January is not the meatiest month for album releases and the record benefited from a clearer listening path. Previous Massy albums can thrive in light touch situations when a suitable backdrop is sought such as driving. Early listens thought this may need a more intense approach such was the aural retuning from type. Yet in the end what made Massy Ferguson such a big hit was always lingering under the surface, just camouflaged by some effective production steering. This album will always be different, engaging with the idiosyncratic services of Damian Jurado saw to that. Ethan Anderson’s distinctive tones still patrol the vocal zone and the core quartet are still in place underpinning with a similar verve to what made the past tick.
Followers of Massy Ferguson are not likely to be souls afraid of a musical challenge. The new record will require a bout of endeavour to grasp and redefining the listening boundaries will help. On the other hand, new markets may spring up, but that is down to movers, shakers and channels pursued.
The heartbeat of the album didn’t become apparent at first. Eventually the pieces clicked into place when the value of ‘So Long, Carry On’ emerged. Gospel vibes enable a decisive mood to embed the song and its position in the centre of the running order gives the album balance. This juxtaposition of the assigned stand out with its predecessor - the rootsy strummer ‘Seaside Town’ - almost proves a bridge from the past to the present. The latter is the one moment when you feel in familiar territory.
Ears will be pricked from the slow backbeat bringing opener ‘Early in the Morning’ into the world. Slightly grungy guitars in the latter stages inject a greater presence, but this song hasn’t clicked yet. The piano intro to ‘Headlights & Highbeams’ implies a fresh start and this track settles as one of the key components. As in its theme, it does transcend to a song enjoyed on a long trip. ‘When You’re Not Around’ completes the opening trio with its vaguely psychedelic tendencies evoking a late sixties/early seventies sound.
Following the two earlier mentioned tracks that probably jostle for the peak comes the album’s midway point with the pleading strains of ‘I’m Almost There’. We then start getting a touch weird in ‘You Were So High’. Some will get it; others may pass. Either way the mood meets the content.
‘Lights Get Low’ launches the final quarter of the album seeing the sound enter a more raucous phase with the brash vocals blending with a more conventional rock style of thrashing guitars. ‘Shrunken Head’ returns to a twangy guitar as all the bands credentials of combined strings, keys and percussion play a part. Penultimate track ‘Lovely Lad’ is a piano led slow number showcasing Anderson’s impactful vocals and a potential poignant moment at live shows. ‘Angels in Heaven’ is a definitive closer in terms of embossing the architecture of Massy Ferguson pursuing a new path. This song leaves you in no doubt that 2025 is a going to be a year like no other for this long established band.
YOU CAN’T TELL ME I’M NOT WHAT I USED TO BE is a brave record. It’s about a band following their instinct to make something fresh and different. Massy Ferguson fans will likely find the wherewithal to tap into the required frequency. There may be a changing of the guard in terms of who is casually attracted to the record. The risk is likely a calculated one and what shines through is a band in control of what they do and executing alterations in a classy and meaningful way.
