Christian Lopez – “1972” (audio) (premiere)

Americana up and comer Christian Lopez has already impressed us with his 2015 album Onward, which he released at 19 years old. Now he’s back with another album, Red Arrow, which will be released September 22nd via Blaster Records. Two years and Lopez’s sound is maturing fast as his songwriting grows more and more accomplished with every new tune.

Lopez’s new single “1972” is shuffling country ballad painted as an ode to his 1972 International Scout truck that he owned during his teenage years. In this case, a truck is more than a truck as it served as Lopez’s means of freedom as a young man and something that produced many great memories for the artist.

Lopez says, “I wrote 1972 at around 11 pm on a late winter night with Marshall Altman, my producer. We’d been listening to music all evening, and had an aching to write something. We eventually stumbled upon a drum groove we loved and used that to guide us along. For me, I always let the feeling I get from the music take me to where I want to go lyrically. With this one, I was taken to the place I loved most: my 1972 International Scout. It wasn’t just the truck that I loved. It was the memories and what it represented that I loved. That truck had seen many adventures, love stories, and tribulations. And since it couldn’t top 55mph and constantly fought overheating, it never left the back roads of my hometown. It was the place I went to for a thrill and the place I went to clear my mind. That truck was my late teenage years wrapped into a semi-rusted metal cage. That’s what I wanted to write about. It wasn’t until Dillon Altman joined us the next day and added to the chorus, that we knew we were done. We had fun with this one, and every time I hear it, it puts me back on that tan and torn bench front seat.”