Cover art: Brenn!, ‘Amateur at Best’
If folk-pop star Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide has left you with an itch to scratch — namely for a project that evokes a relationship left behind when the singer left their hometown — Brennan Kellar might just have what you’re looking for. The 21-year-old Nashvillian by way of Alabama, who performs as Brenn!, released his first full-length Amateur at Best June 12 via Darkroom Records. The album builds a compelling narrative through the lyrical storytelling reflected in past releases like “4runner” and “Franklin House,” standout tracks from previous EPs. Comparing a slowly eroding romantic relationship to a baseball game, Amateur at Best puts the listener in the stands, looking on as Kellar stumbles and slides through his fight to get back to home.
The acoustic-driven record begins a high note with “Homerun,” whose powerful stacked vocals stand on the unfussy but inviting arrangement featuring Hunter Strasser on guitar, Baily Johnstone on bass and Estevan Barrientez on drums. Upbeat strumming is the foundation for the title track, despite lyrics that explore forlorn baseball analogies and Kellar’s feelings of inadequacy as a partner. On “Shiver,” he pulls back on the emotional intensity and turns his metaphors cold, comparing the ice building up in his relationship to frostbite eating at his skin. Several songs on the record crescendo only to end abruptly, like the cleanup hitter striking out with bases loaded, mirroring the turbulence of a romance in trouble. Kellar comes full-circle with weary resignation on the closer “Silhavy,” confessing “I’m not the same and I can’t love you anymore” and carrying all the weight of growing out of your adolescent relationships.
Find the record on your favorite streaming service or on Brenn!’s website, and follow him on Instagram for updates. His headline club tour will bring him back to his adopted hometown for a show Oct. 10 at Exit/In.
