The new album from Tom Catmull’s Last Resort opens with “L.O.L.A. Hello,” a banger so catchy you’ll need industrial-strength tongs to pry it loose. It’s maybe the perfect Catmull tune in the way it delivers bouncy pop-bright hooks that are also firmly planted in the dirt, maintaining the song’s center of gravity by way of the band’s Americana roots rock rhythms that are as natural as a heartbeat. The fantastic balance between pop and grit in this song also comes from Catmull’s taut, understated emotional honesty, which is truly a characteristic of his songwriting in general. But “L.O.L.A. Hello” is a prime example — a radio hit concoction that’s playful and that emits a carefree coolness while evoking the deeply visceral sense that fleeting, everyday experiences hold eternal truths. Instead of trying to make us feel something, Catmull’s effortlessly buoyant vocals let the words and melodies do the work.
Catmull lives in Missoula, but he’s really a statewide staple, providing a consistent soundtrack in breweries across Montana. And for that reason, and because he’s been ubiquitous for me over the past 15 years, I was surprised to read on his website that he hasn’t released an album in about 12 years and that his trio, Tom Catmull’s Last Resort, has never released one. That changes this week with this release, an eponymous collection of 12 new original songs, (including “L.O.L.A. Hello”) on both CD and vinyl, as well as on Bandcamp and maybe other platforms.
Instead of trying to make us feel something, Catmull’s effortlessly buoyant vocals let the words and melodies do the work.
Did I move on from “L.O.L.A. Hello?” Yes. Reluctantly, at first. But I’m glad I did because the whole thing is so good, and it includes several bangers and no bombs. And it’s not just good songwriting, but tight musicianship, which is really no surprise considering the trio’s musicians: Tom Catmull’s Last Resort features Travis Yost on bass — another Montana music scene staple. The drummer is Drew Barker, who, as the son of drummer and Electronic Sound and Percussion owner Checkers Barker Sr., is part of a Missoula percussion dynasty.
Other favorite tracks include “Puff of Smoke,” with Barker’s country-tinged style, snare drum clattering in measured rhythm and Yost’s exacting bass lines bouncing steadily along, propelling the song forward like a train rolling freely through the countryside.
“Bank Heist” is a standout: funky, with a mix of bluesy roots, swaggering style, drums that pound like zealous rain – sometimes relentless and sometimes merciful. It’s something you can jam to on a road trip, but if you listen more closely to the lyrics, you’ll discover there’s a lot of intriguing tension going on, like when Catmull sings, “And every day is just a sacrifice / and every moment may be one bank heist.” I’ve listened to “Bank Heist” several times and can’t quite tell if it’s a love song, a confessional or a redemption song — or all three! But honestly, that’s the beauty of it.
Then there’s “Narrow,” which may have crawled to the No. 1 spot for my favorite song on this album. It’s a loping tune with very satisfying minor-key chords that are warm and sad at the same time. Catmull sings, “Well I don’t even know you / half as much as my heart is beggin’ to / but I am gonna narrow the distance,” addressing the tentative leap of a possible new love and the decision to take a risk when the future is unknown.
Later, he returns to the line in a very different light:
“Everybody’s got a shaky hand / all the news and all the noise inside their head / says, the friends that used to hold you up could be carrying the killer ‘round instead. / The governor’s a good man / I mean no disrespect to him / That said, We had better narrow the distance.”
Here, the same line folds into a cautionary lens, reflecting the fragile fabric of our society and the dangers — literal or metaphorical — that might lurk unseen. Is “the killer” COVID? Is “the killer” cruelty in a divisive time? So many ways to interpret it. Repeating the phrase like a musical sestina, Catmull lets it shift and accumulate meaning, each iteration resonating with the context around it, creating moments of gravity that make you catch your breath.
I don’t think Tom Catmull’s Last Resort sounds like any other band in particular, but if you’ve never heard them, you can go see them play at the album release party on Thursday, Dec. 4, at Bitter Root Brewing in Hamilton, or wait for a Missoula release party, which I’m personally hoping for. But, in the meantime, here’s what I’d say about their sound: There are very brief moments on this album that vaguely evoke the rhythmic energy of The Proclaimers and others that evoke Bruce Springsteen. But I think, if you were to create a playlist with a cohesive mood, Catmull’s songwriting style fits best alongside Lyle Lovett and Todd Snider. (Snider, of course, was supposed to play Missoula recently, just before he was assaulted while on tour in Utah, and died several days later.) Catmull has opened for Snider, and though they are distinctively different, they share a wry sense of humor and storytelling sensibilities defined by lyrical deftness.
I will never stop obsessing over Catmull’s lyrics, which, along with his melodies, paint in vivid, concrete strokes. It’s the same on this album, and maybe even more so than many of his previous songs. The imagery is never overwrought, which is disarming. On this album in particular, the storytelling offers just enough detail to draw you in without ever feeling heavy-handed or overly obvious. Once you’re inside, unexpected truths land like tiny sparks, delivering small revelations that somehow feel inevitable in the world the song has built.
Tom Catmull’s Last Resort plays their album release party at Bitter Root Brewing in Hamilton Thursday, Dec. 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
