Grizzled Nebraska dive-bar howlers David Nance Group earned Band To Watch honors from this site on the strength of 2018’s Peaced And Slightly Pulverized. Recorded live with Nance’s bandmates, the album put a raw and combustible proto-punk edge on classic rock sounds — “Ham Sandwich,” for instance, was like the Stooges covering “Manic Depression” during a riot. It was tremendous, but it’s not the only trick up Nance’s sleeve.

Before Peaced And Slightly Pulverized, Nance was gaining traction in the underground with home-recorded solo works like 2017’s no-fi wonder Negative Boogie. He returns to that format, if not exactly that sound, on the new Staunch Honey, out Friday and streaming below in advance. It’s a mellower, higher-fidelity record than we’ve come to expect from Nance, chooglin’ under a subtle halo of static while venturing through country, blues, and folk sounds under the aegis of ragged, easygoing rock ‘n’ roll. It’s like some private-press treasure you might excavate from the dustiest corner of a Great Plains record store, except it’s brand new and breathed with the weary spirit of this era.

That weariness is partially a result of hard work. Recording directly to tape at his Omaha home with assistance from longtime bandmate Jim Schroeder and Kevin Donohue, Nance reportedly tinkered with Staunch Honey for two years, ultimately reworking the album three times. The effort paid off; Staunch Honey is a monument to Nance’s gifts for thoughtfully zonked songwriting and homespun production. Or as Nance himself might put it, “Sometimes the best things come in the worst ways/ If you’re lucky enough to get it, hold it all day.”

Stream Staunch Honey in full below.

And while you’re here, check out the new live album culled from Nance’s virtual Gonerfest set:

Staunch Honey is out 11/13 on Trouble In Mind. Pre-order it here or here. They say everything will be alright, but there’s no return on the merchandise.