283. THE PAST IS STILL ALIVE by Hurray for the Riff Raff

When my friend Tom first sent this 2024 record my way back in April of that year, I gave it a listen or two but then quickly forgot about it. It just didn't stick for whatever reason. Maybe it was because the name of the band didn't match with what I was hearing or maybe it was some other reason, I don't really know.

Fast forward to the nightmare 2025 has been and continues to be and the album somehow ended up back on my radar sometime in July. However, this time around something clicked - I personally think my wife's death had a hand in making this one of my most played records this year (I'd have to dig through my listening stats to see if this is, in fact, my most played record of 2025).

Anyway, I love this album and I love singer Alynda Segarra's voice and lyrics. If you find yourself in the mood for some alt-countryish-Americana-indie sounds please give this record a spin. And if it doesn't resonate with you the first time around, give it another chance or two. Please.

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record (pun intended) when I say that it's really getting to be a chore to only recommend 3 to 5 tracks off a particular album but this one is truly all killer and no filler. I never skip any tracks when I listen to it. Start out with 'Hawkmoon' and then move on to 'Buffalo,' 'Hourglass,' 'Alibi' and then end with 'Ogallala' which has a great cacophonous but melodious ending that just works. Or, play the record from start to finish the way it was intended to be heard.