Antler House, Riverwest’s newest up-and-coming indie band has finally put out their debut album. After years of playing in various bars across the city and hearing rumors of an album in the works, the day has finally come. Through The Dirt was well worth the wait. The album debuted this last weekend at their release party at Yield bar. The night featured performances from Soul Low and Ugly Brothers. Antler House might not be a household name as of yet, but the band has developed their reputation by being a frequent headliner at Riverwest bars since they started up back in 2009. The group features a trio of hardworking and talented musicians with front-man Sean Anderson on vocals, John Johnson on guitar, and drummer John McCabe. Although only their first professional release, I would say Antler House has added an integral piece to the Milwaukee Indie scene.
Through The Dirt from Antler House gives us indie rock in its purest form. The entire album is completely understated and soft spoken, with the mantra that less is more. However, don’t let this fool you. While minimalist in form, the songs are intricately woven together to produce a well rounded and complex tracklist. A close comparison to the group and perhaps one of their biggest influences is that of Grizzly Bear and perhaps even a faint hint of Wilco. Emblematic of the soft spoken style is their track “New Blood”. The song features long instrumental interludes with short, but powerful lyrics. However, their single, “Underdog”, a staple in their live shows with entrancing guitar plays for a perfect closing song to an all around strong album.
Antler House will of course be sticking to their Riverwest roots this coming summer. Their next show will be on Friday, May 16th at Cartoon Jazz Café playing alongside MIGO, I am running in circles, and Iron Pizza. I definitely recommend taking a trip to a Riverwest establishment to check out Antler House.
