Last year, Stereogum published a feature on comedians who also make music, and one of them was Whitmer Thomas. Thomas used to be in a comedy troupe called Power Violence, and he's had success as a standup, as well as in a bunch of different fields. As an actor, for instance, Thomas appeared in the recent movie Friendship, and he'll soon be onscreen again in Weapons. As a musician, Thomas released his 2022 debut EP Can't Believe You're Happy Here and followed it with the full-length The Older I Get The Funnier I Was, both of which were produced by Melina Duterte, better known as Jay Som. Now, he's announcing a new EP called Tilt.
Whitmer Thomas once again recorded Tilt with Jay Som. The new EP is coming out as a part of Saddle Creek's Document series, and it has a theme. A few years ago, Thomas and his band went on a tour where they only played cities with casinos and where they followed every show by staying up all night at those casinos, gambling away all the money that they had just earned. This seems like a bad idea! Nobody should do this! Thomas did indeed lose a ton of money on this tour, but at least he got the inspiration for these three new songs. One of those songs is called "Bronco Buster," and we get to hear it right now.
A bronco buster, I am learning now, is not just the move where X-Pac runs into the corner and jumps up and down on your chest. It's also a rodeo cowboy who specializes in breaking in wild horses. Whitmer Thomas' "Bronco Buster" is a sweet, chugging rocker about loneliness and desperation at the rodeo. Thomas co-directed the video with his regular collaborator Clay Tatum; the same pair recently made MJ Lenderman's clip for "She's Leaving You." The new video mostly focuses on adorable little kids in cowboy clothes. Check out the "Bronco Buster" video, the Tilt tracklists, and Thomas' tour dates below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "On A Roll"
02 "Bronco Buster"
03 "Tilt"
TOUR DATES:
11/06 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
11/07 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
11/10 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
11/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
The Tilt EP is out 9/5 on Saddle Creek.
