I’ve been drawn to Tucker Riggleman’s music precisely because it’s so intense and raw…yet has an intriguing sense of distance. Riggleman and his new band, the Cheap Dates, are giving us a brand new EP today with Heaven, and it’s a little less twang and a little more growl. You can see their tour dates below.
Riggleman’s lyrics can be a bit opaque, but he’s got a gift that makes the emotions behind them shine through, even if the words aren’t something that lines up with your experience. On “Neck Breaker,” Riggleman propositions a sometimes-lover while the Cheap Dates tear through the song at, well, a break-neck pace:
Even if I never catch you
At least it’s pretty work to do
You’re never easy on the heart
But you’re easy on the eyes
Riggleman brings a growl of desperation to the song that reminds me of NQ Arbuckle. There’s an earthiness to that immediacy that sucks me in like a moth to a flame. One of these days I’ll get to see Tucker in person, but if you’re in the West Virginia area you can and should avail yourself of the tour dates above.