Everybody’s here, so let’s play ball! Tried and true rock n' roll stalwarts The Cowboys return after a brief hiatus with their delightful sixth LP, “Sultan of Squat”. This grounded yet adventurous new album marks the reunion of the original lineup, featuring Keith Harman (vocals/keys), Mark McWhirter (Guitar), Zackery Worcel (Bass), and Jordan Tarantino (drums). It is nothing short of a glorious return to form, a long player hoping to bring a smile to the ears of listeners.

“Sultan of Squat” furthers the band's trajectory into themselves, polishing off thirteen songs filled with dubious characters, whimsical retreats, and even the odd love song. As with previous releases, The Cowboys refuse to make their bed in any single genre. Lead track, “The Sultan of Squat'' opens the album with an earworm salute to America’s pastime while lofting a lyrical curveball of dark, defeated humor. The boys kick it into high gear, playing with the finesse and dexterity ten years as a band instills. It's automatic - whether they're launching into classic Midwestern garage punk (“Raining Sour Grapes”), dialing things back to piano-driven power pop (“Token Drifter”), or western slide guitar pop-rock ballads ("She's Not Your Baby Anymore"), The Cowboys are simply incredible across “Sultan of Squat”.

This could well be The Cowboys' finest hour as a group, and six albums in - that's no easy feat. The best of the Midwest is back under the bright lights, pouring collective blood, sweat, and tears into a sound equal parts then and now.


Our take: Sultan of Squat is the 6th full-length from this prolific and long-running Indiana group. The Cowboys have always seemed like a band from another time. While so many of the current bands I listen focus their energy on carving out a specific stylistic niche—a kind of sonic branding—the Cowboys are a throwback to when rock music was all about the song. When you hear a new Cowboys track, you can never predict what it’s going to sound like—its tempo, its rhythm, the instrumental arrangement—but you know there’s going to be something songwriterly at the core of it, whether it’s a musical hook, a story, a turn of phrase, a memorable character, or something else entirely. After 10 years and six albums, the Cowboys as a band are at the top of their game, flexible and powerful as players, but always dedicated to the song. Sultan of Squat has some real toe-tappers, too. The Cowboys are such a world unto themselves at this point that it’s hard to imagine what a newcomer to the band might think if they heard Sultan of Squat, but anyone who has developed a taste for the Cowboys’ unique approach to underground rock music will find it another worthwhile addition to their discography.