In modern country music, the lines of the genre are becoming more and more blurred with every passing year. Some will argue that the genre has never had distinct boundary lines, but with the invention of starlet Taylor Swift, it’s safe to say that the nondescript lines of country and pop became eviscerated beyond recognition, regardless of what the 80s and 90s country stars had to say.
URL: https://coreystapleton.com/
Even in 2022, there aren’t straight-up country acts anymore. Lil Nas X took the genre for a ride with his breakout hit (and infinitely remixed) “Old Town Road,” and indie stars such as Orville Peck and Kacey Musgraves are set on having their fun with the sound, too, but as far as mainstream music goes, there seems to be less and less of a place for the country music genre to fit in. Luckily, those willing to seek it out are in for a treat when it comes to the indie country scene; bursting with enough heart and soul to write a dozen albums to rival Garth Brooks, Corey Stapleton and The Pretty Pirates’ first album Sea Change is here to change the tide.
Bidding adieu to all formal definitions of “country music,” Corey Stapleton and The Pretty Pirates seem intent instead on crafting an album that first and foremost just feels like something that’s their own. The fact that the easygoing mood that runs from start to finish on Sea Change propels the group and the album well into throwback country territory is all the more impressive because it never once feels forced or intended.
Songs like “Sea Change” and “Even Though” feel intent on using country music’s defined instrumentation to paint a picture of a new section of modern indie music, as the cool musical components combat heartbreaking lyrics in the latter and transport listeners to a distant vacation in the former. Instead of using the confines of “country music” to dictate what the band is capable of, The Pretty Pirates pivot and use the country genre as one tool among many on the band’s musical tool belt. This is a move that I haven’t seen attempted before, and it works brilliantly to give the band some extra leash to run with their ideas without fear of any classifications.
Corey Stapleton and The Pretty Pirates have something special within Sea Change, but you’d be fooled to think that they’re aware of the gold they have on their hands; across all twelve songs on Sea Change, the group ever feels full of themselves or boastful. Each song feels earnest and well-intentioned, and there’s a variety of musical textures explored throughout that never feel self-conscious. For instance, “Kabul’s Fallen” maintains a new area of sound for Sea Change as it bravely dons electric guitars and a significant runtime, but before you know it the band will shift into a new headspace by dealing listeners something like “The Darkest Part” as a follow-up.
Sea Change is never an experimental album in the traditional sense, but listeners are given the feeling that Stapleton and his crew are down for anything, and they pull it all off extremely well. Who’s to say where modern country music goes next? Be it in a more obscure or more accessible direction, fans should continue the search into indie country groups like Corey Stapleton and The Pretty Pirates — if Sea Change is any indication, there’s plenty of masterful music still to be discovered. Kim Muncie