Sidelong

180 gram LP with digital download card.

"I simply cannot imagine a better time to be an independent woman fronting an outlaw country band than right the fuck now.”

Rowdy punk rock insolence to the right, a bottle in a bag; organic three-chords-and-the-truth frankness to the left—one eye in the rearview mirror and one eye on the rough road ahead. Sidelong is a record that will make you sit up and take notice. This is a new voice for a new country.

Full Description

North Carolina’s Sarah Shook sings with a conviction and hard honesty sorely lacking in much of today’s Americana landscape. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers has been covered by the likes of No Depression, Independent Weekly, and Rolling Stone, with the latter including the group on their July 2016 list of "10 New Country Artists You Need to Know."

The versatile guitar of Eric Peterson roams wide but never steers into the ditch. At times, it’s as simple and muscular as Luther Perkins’ boom-chicka-boom, or as downtown as Johnny Thunders (check those greasy riffs in “Nothing Feels Right But Doin’ Wrong”). There’s the chugging indie-rock snarl in “Heal Me” and the big sky horizon of a Cormac McCarthy western in “No Name.” "Keep the Home Fires Burnin'" shows an edgy Buckaroo mettle with the wicked lap steel work by Phil Sullivan. "The Nail" is a dark-souled garage rave-up with the swing of the Old 97's and the backbone of Bob Wills, courtesy of John Howie Jr’s on the money drumming. Aaron Oliva keeps the tempo of the band's live performances on track with the sonic growl of his upright bass. The Disarmers keep in the pocket, tight and tough.

Sidelong is a record that will make you sit up and take notice. This is a new voice for a new country.

Short Description

The best album of 2017 sounds like Tammy Wynette fronting the Ramones if they were talented hillbillies with moonshine breath.

— Missoula Indepenent
Oozes traditional country elegance spiked with feral, almost frightening grit…And the instrumental chops of the Disarmers are downright staggering—old-school Nashville grace mixed with frenetic backwoods fury.

— Folio Weekly
You’ve got to give Sarah Shook and her aptly-named combo The Disarmers credit; their unabashedly brash delivery and wholly unrepentant attitude demonstrate a confidence that’s rare on a band’s debut. It helps make Sidelong a shockingly candid statement from a rebel without remorse.

— Bandcamp
Sidelong is a stunning LP propelled by raw enthusiasm and unforgettable lines. I couldn't recommend it more…You are going to love her.

— The FADER
Whether she meant to or not, Shook has created a feminist country record with Sidelong, forgoing gender stereotypes, and offering her voice up as an unapologetic, take-me-as-I-am woman who won’t hold back.

— No Depression
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers are the best thing to emerge from country music in the last ten years and Sidelong is the best album released, in any genre, so far this year.

— Louder Than War (UK)
Blending bloodlines of punk and twang as Sidelong sees a Country music future where diversity and challenges are encouraged.

— AXS
Highlights are too many to list.

— Rocking Magpie
Her songs may draw on classic country themes such as boozing, romance (in all its ups and downs), and hard living, but her perspective is unmistakably grounded in the present.

— She Shreds Magazine
Unapologetically delivers truth, grit, and a brazen, no-nonsense attitude…it’s a (totally badass) record for the one who might be broken in love, but isn’t down for the count.

— The Daily Country
She delivers her songs with the brass of someone who has lived the lines she sings… it’s a rare vocalist that sings with such conviction and hits so hard on the first impression.

— PopMatters
Shook has this odd 90s indie rock sensibility. Think Guided By Voices going country. For quite possibly the first time, "Keep the Home Fires Burnin'" has guitars that both twang and fuzz.

— If It's Too Loud
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers are a Country band out of North Carolina that wear its Rock’n’Roll smirk like a tattoo...[and] sing for sad smiles and hard-luck tales.

— The Alternate Root
Honest to a fault and as foul-mouthed as a drunken sailor, she's a nonconforming spitfire who's proud of not fitting in with mainstream country music.

— Rolling Stone