Artist:     PR Newman

Album:     Turn Out

Label:     Devil Duck Records

Release Date:     7.20.18 

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Never at a loss for words, Spencer Garland – also known as PR Newman, the PR standing for “Punk-rock Randy,” as in Randy Newman—is a witty and lively writer whose nickname suits him perfectly. Prone to crafting carnivals of wildly original lyrics and wry observations of human behavior, Garland also knows when it’s best to just keep quiet.

His silence is golden in the relaxed, bittersweet instrumental “Keep On, Hard Days” that closes Turn Out, where aerodynamic indie rock, vintage soul and sunny alt.-country melt together in a golden harmony. Taken from Garland’s first LP as PR Newman, “Keep On, Hard Days” is a beautiful tired smile, simply arranged with a comforting melodic weave of carefully sculpted guitar, shining harmonica chrome and casual finger snaps. It doesn’t require Garland to say anything, the same way staring silently at a colorful, fading sunset with childlike wonder quiets a troubled mind. Heartfelt sincerity and empathy are ingrained in its DNA, as Garland, formerly of the Berkshire Hounds, shuts the door on a stylistically diverse and highly entertaining record. All that’s left to do is clean up after the party.

Around every corner of Turn Out a good time awaits, as the deliriously infectious power-pop rush of both “But, No” and “Go to Hell” go for broke, the soulful psychedelic swirl of “The Way (In Me)” dreams of marrying Sgt. Pepper with Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain and the woozy, celebratory “Right Here, Yeah, Ya” hitches summery R&B to a wagon of timeless, ambling Americana. Decked out in a spangled suit of Gram Parsons’ country-rock, the rollicking, good-natured “Damn, I Miss That Guy” lights up any room, while “Here Comes the Rangers” brings the funk in an easygoing manner.

In lesser hands, the whole thing could crumble like a house of cards. Seemingly all over the map genre-wise, Turn Out is actually a focused, completely assured effort, as everything coalesces organically. Well-rounded horns occasionally ooze through the cracks as part of a rich variety of instrumentation that adds exquisite accents, but what’s truly remarkable is how effortlessly PR Newman blends disparate genres to create fun, memorable songs. Turn Out shouldn’t be overlooked.

—Peter Lindblad