Factory Farm Songs, the debut album from four-piece Trouser, is filled with echoes of classic Americana, folk and country combined with modern rock sounds. Themes throughout the nine original songs are varied — from Ken and Barbie’s troubled middle-age years to a family man’s desire to live underwater.

Politically and romantically charged lyrics are enhanced by the driving backbeats of Geoff Lewis (Across State Lines, Zydecrunch), and a range of acoustic and electric stringed instruments are played by songwriter and vocalist Nick Brown (Boris Texas), guitarist Rob Ericksen (Jive Dharma, Fly Illusion) and bassist Chris Hines (Domingo).

All of the musicians featured on Factory Farm Songs are good friends who’ve spent a decade recording and touring throughout the midwest, and Factory Farm Songs captures the straight-forward energy of the band’s live performances.

Recorded at the studios of Onsight75 Productions, LLC, and mastered at The Vault in New York City, Factory Farm Songs is also the first big release for Lemonchester Music, a Madison, Wis., based independent label dedicated to capturing the musical spirit of hungry and independent artists and delivering their music and messages to larger audiences.

I had the pleasure of playing pedal steel on tracks 1, 4 and 7 of this fine album. If you like what you hear below then go here and buy a copy for yourself.

Factory Farms
In The Bathroom
Crack In The Door