Prairiewolf is on the loose.

The dream team of Stefan Beck (Golden Brown) on guitar and steel, Tyler Wilcox (Aquarium Drunkard) on bass and Jeremy Erwin (Heat Warps) on keys and synth, has finally released their first proper studio album, and it was very much worth the wait.

The trio creates dreamy lounge soundscapes that jam out with the looseness of free jazz and the headiness of hypnotic kosmische musik. With streams of Mellotron flutes, distantly reverberating pedal steel and ticking retro drum machines, Prairiewolf beautifully conjures sci-fi western landscapes, much like what you see on the album’s collage-like cover.

Despite being an album full of jams, many of these tracks are still quite reserved and short, so it easily makes you daydream of just how far they could possibly stretch out and evolve in live settings. Take for example the synth and vibraphone-heavy “Labwerk.” Even though it’s under four minutes, this Kraftwerk-meets-Éthiopiques banger could easily spiral out and grow into a seriously epic piece if given the chance. Here’s hoping their future performances will be well documented so we can hear evolution over time.

Yet, these cuts never feel too short, either. Instead, they’ re treated like little well-polished sonic pearls, all carefully edited and groomed in order to flow together into one seamless extended trip. Got a long drive ahead of you soon? Put this album on, and it will be your most trusted companion.

If JJ Cale, Don Cherry and Ash Ra Tempel are among your favorites, then Prairiewolf’s music was made for you. Click here to order this killer album on Centripetal Force today.

-KH

PS: If you missed it before, be sure to also check out the brilliant drum machine playlist Beck made for RCU a few weeks ago!