Suitcase Junket - The End Is New

The End is New is the compelling sixth album from The Suitcase Junket, the moniker for multi-instrumentalist Matt Lorenz, who crafts or salvages most of the instruments that he performs live and on the album. Aided by production from Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, The End is New is musically diverse and lyrically dense with meaning. Lorenz says, "I told Steve I wanted to make a doom-folk record. That's what I'd started calling my music when people asked. Neither of us knew quite what that meant at the time, but I think we found out with The End is New. There's a heavy mix of hope and desperation in the sound and lyrically I was trying to be a mirror to society using truth, myth, confessions and stories." The End is New is a captivating collection of eleven songs, with thoughtful lyrics enhanced by searing sounds and epic musicianship. "Black Holes and Overdoses" captures the numbness encountered as we drudge through the unrelenting news cycle, driven by a fierce, rocking blues beat. The haunting "Light a Candle," featuring J Mascis on guitar, depicts the utter despair and helplessness of coping with loss. "Can't Look Away" protests the politicization of climate change, speaking to personal responsibility. A true songwriting statement, The End is New finds the artist expanding his possibilities with the narratives of his imagination.