Brian Borcherdt

Before there was Holy Fuck, there was Brian Borcherdt, writing folk and punkish prog music with a solid voice and compelling vision. Coyotes is the sound of an exhausted Borcherdt, stripped of the glitch-y tones and electro rock beats of the road burning Holy Fuck, writing folk songs that are visceral on a whole other level. "While I Was Asleep” is barebones basic, a few buzzing chords and Borcherdt’s weary voice emerging out of a dull-hued, distant dream. "Scout Leader” is more dynamic, with Borcherdt’s fragile words balanced by electric and acoustic guitar, as if Elliott Smith regained his voice via Neil Young’s Dead Man. Whimpering through "Evil Twin,” Borcherdt sounds like he could break apart in your hands, yet he pushes himself through a song about isolation, struggling but arriving at some resolution. Brian Borcherdt simply needed to make Coyotes. This raw, emotive release is palpable and brave.