Portland’s the Builders and the Butchers have built a cult following with their no-holds-barred approach to Americana, one that lands them somewhere in between Lucero and the Decemberists. Twelve years into their career, the band is getting ready to release their fifth album, The Spark.
Videos by American Songwriter
In advance of the album, the band shared a blistering new track, “No Grave,” and an accompanying video that takes the term “spaghetti Western” pretty literally.
“‘No Grave’ is all about feeling bigger than the place you were born and needing to escape, specifically being stuck in a small town and escaping by any means necessary, a song about feeling unhinged and alive, almost manic,” the band’s Ryan Sollee says. “The sound is similar to other Builders tunes, where the bass and mandolin really drive things along. It also features our double drummer set up with two hands playing the bass drum and two on the snare, giving it a really unique rhythm.”
The Spark is out May 19. Watch the new video for “No Grave” below.
