Mike Trask dials back his signature raspy rock and roll with the new single, Cover Girl.
Matt Carter
Mike Trask’s new single Cover Girl may catch a few listeners off guard. But then again it may not. Trask has been compared to lots of artists in recent years as we music writers try to identify connections to other musicians that may act as bait to draw new ears to his music. We do this because we believe in his work. We believe in his voice and his writing. (Trask’s an original goddamnit!) But like many of the artists I have compared him to with minimal accuracy – Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – Trask isn’t afraid to do different stuff. He is not afraid to try new things. Risk or no risk. That is what keeps me tuned in to his every move. If you still haven’t spent time with any of his recordings, stop everything. Go forth. I don’t mind waiting.
In the notes that accompanied Cover Girl’s arrival in my inbox, Trask credits both a trip to the West Coast and a newfound love for electronic music as two of the catalysts behind his new single. I don’t know exactly how these two influences affect things outside of maybe reining in the rock a bit. But I can tell you Cover Girl is one of Trask’s most subdued songs since TV Dinner’s Marshmellow Moon. It moves slowly with occasional exaggerated steps that serve to sprinkle in a few grains of unexpected flavor. I love the way he seems to fall into the chorus. It reminds me of trying to navigate a staircase in the dark. How many steps are left? One of two? It’s this kind of thing that makes Trask Trask and every one of his releases worthy of your attention.
