American Aquarium

North Carolina alt-country outfit American Aquarium have a sound that mixes twang, grit, and some straight-ahead rock & roll. With a name plucked from a Wilco lyric, they pick up the trail blazed by bands like Whiskeytown and the Drive-By Truckers, adding their own distinctive palette and point of view. Focused around the songs of frontman B.J. Barham, the group already had four records and countless tours before finding more widespread acclaim with 2012's Burn.Flicker.Die. Over the years, Barham has retooled his lineup a number of times, and he became more politically outspoken on later releases like 2020's poetic Lamentations. After the 2021 covers project Slappers, Bangers, and Certified Twangers, they returned to original music on 2022's tightly focused Chicamacomico. Two years later they reunited with Jennings and leaned into their more raucous side with The Fear of Standing Still.