Loose Cattle 2024
Photo: Joseph Vidrine / IVPR

Loose Cattle Scare the Herd with ‘Someone’s Monster’

Country-rockers Loose Cattle’s Someone’s Monster suggests that we may all be somebody else’s demons while the songs imply we might be our own worst enemies.

Someone's Monster
Loose Cattle
Single Lock
1 November 2024

It’s unclear why Loose Cattle named themselves that. The phrase usually refers to cows that break from the herd and roam about freely. With all respect to farm animals, this is generally due to ignorance and not paying attention rather than a bovine’s desire for liberty. They can be a danger to themselves and others by appearing in unexpected places like the middle of a highway.

Judging by Loose Cattle’s sound, a better name for them would refer to the cowpokes who round up the strays. They sing and play tight, atmospheric country rock-style music in the tradition of late 20th-century alt-country acts such as R.E.M., Lucinda Williams, and the Drive-By Truckers. Lucinda and the Truckers’ Patterson Hood each contribute vocals to one song apiece, and there is one cut (“Antiversary”) that repeatedly cites R.E.M.’s “South Central Rain” refrain over and over again.

Kimberly Kaye and Michael Cerveris lead Loose Cattle on vocals. Their duets and musical connections are reminiscent of past country and punk duets where the voices rub against each other’s grain rather than harmonize. The duo are more Johnny and June than Kenny and Dolly or George and Tammy; more July Talk and X than Leather and Lace. Kaye’s Southern drawl adds a touch of gothic authenticity to the proceedings. Cerveris, formerly a sideman in Bob Mould‘s band, also plays lead guitar with an energetic flair. The other group members include Lorenzo Wolff on bass, Eddy Zweiback on drums, fiddle player Justin Smith, and pedal steel player Jon Graboff.

Cerveris and Kaye co-wrote many songs, representing the world as hostile and uncaring. “Cheneyville” tells the unhappy story of a young couple whose love and lives can’t survive against the odds. “Here’s the Attention You Ordered” reveals the hypocrisy of a perfect religious family where the man regularly cheats on his wife and beats his kids. Cerveris’s solo self-penned compositions like “God’s Teeth” and “The Shoals” blame the Lord and the Devil for life’s misfortunes. Patterson Hood joins in on vocals as “The Shoals”. The musical arrangements suggest that a maleficent spirit has gripped the world like a nasty fog. There is no escape, just temporary respites.

Lucinda Williams adds her vocals to Loose Cattle’s country waltz take on Lady Gaga‘s “Joanne”. The added voice helps illustrate the breadth of choices the central character has to make when deciding whether she stays or goes. They also cover Lucinda Williams’ “Crescent City” (without her involvement). It’s a great song, and Loose Cattle do their best not to mess it up. Kaye’s vocals are aided by Cerveris in the background, which makes the “we” of the lyrics more dramatic. Johanna Devine plays lap steel and harmonizes on her feisty contribution, “Big Night Out”, which begins and ends with the promise of a fight. Kaye belts out the lyrics (“Whatever happened to super girl?”) like a drunken sailor looking for some action. The song provides some welcome relief from the darker side of life, as presented in much of the other material.

It’s unclear why Loose Cattle named their album Someone’s Monster. The title suggests that we all may be somebody else’s demons; the songs imply we might be our own worst enemies.

RATING 7 / 10
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