S.P.

Description

Dick Stusso is a mess. The third album from everyones favorite increasingly unhinged rock phenom is a document of slow, full mental unraveling in a money-chasing saga set with a world in perpetual decay as its backdrop. With S.P., the man behind the Dick Stusso persona (specifically, California-based singer and songwriter Nic Russo, who is doing much better than his fictional counterpart) has created his most out-there and toothsome record to date, plunging his listeners into a world that might seem strangethat is, until they take a look at whats actually around them too.

S.P. is the first Dick Stusso record in four years, following his stellar Hardly Art debut In Heaven from 2018but this latest missive is more of an indirect sequel to the buzz-building 2015 release Nashville Dreams / Sings the Blues, diving deeper into Dick Stussos crumbling psyche and dystopian surroundings. If our introduction to Dick was someone trying to pursue their dreams and turning into a failure as a result, S.P. reflects the moment where, in Russos words, The character is becoming unlikable. Hes succumbing to what is taking place around him.

The wild-eyed sounds on S.P.spanning countrified rock duets, Guided by Voices-recalling anthems, and outro noise-burst sound experimentsare partially owed to the records protracted gestational period. Nearly half of its 18 songs were completed before the pandemic, when Russo decided to take a beat and allow the music to sprout new, weird buds in his rehearsal space. I took my time and let these songs get as strange as they could be, he explains, and after he completed the self-recording process, boards man and pal Andrew Oswald came in to mix down the records unique feel.

The result is a record that bridges the gap between the ultra lo-fi confines of Nashville Dreams and the lush echoes of In Heaven, with a few helping hands to fully flesh out Russos vision. In addition to being a major musical influence on Russos creative process at large, Grace Cooper (The Sandwitches, Grace Sings Sludge) contributes vocals to Dinner for Two and Self Reflection (Deep); elsewhere, his father Marc Russoa Grammy-winning saxophonist and longtime member of the Doobie Brotherslays down expert horn arrangements on Garbagedump #1. During the pandemic he had more downtime at home. We had talked about doing something collaborative with horns for a while, Russo explains. He had the time, and hes so far out of my caliber as a musician, so its very serendipitous that it could happen. He made the song very special.

This could be heaven, or it could be hell, he croons over the songs barroom sway, and that opening line picks up In Heavens titular thread while introducing the uncertainty hovering over S.P. Things are great, but theyre also awful at the same time, Russo explains while talking about the overall vibe. The haunted ballad A Fairly Normal Guy captures our protagonist listening to music on his phone while feeling not quite right, while the deceptively easy going Dinner For Two uses darkness to mask a warm, sunny perspective right underneath.

If we can go out and just eat some good food, maybe we can be happy, Russo states while talking about the thematic bent of Dinner For Two, landing on an unexpectedly optimistic conclusion: After accepting certain things about the way were living, maybe it isnt so bad in the end. Surprising, maybebut S.P. is full of twists and turns like that, further establishing Russo as a fascinating craftsman whos never bound to do the same thing twice. Would you want it any other way?