Today, Athens, GA-based Lo Talker unveils a new song, “Nero In The News,” the fifth and final advanced single from Lo Talker’s stunning debut album A Comedy Of Errors, which is set to be released March 19, 2021, through Arts & Crafts.
The song is a direct rebuke of the current state of American politics – “just a comedy of errors on a shrine,” sings frontman Andrew Shepard, who led his previous band Roadkill Ghost Choir on its remarkable eight-year run. Produced by Kevin Ratterman (Jim James, My Morning Jacket, Strand Of Oaks), “Nero” blends a folk-inflected fingerpicked acoustic guitar with shimmering synthesizers, gently belying the “constant circus of terrifying headlines and lower lows” that incited it.
A classic indie rock opus that reflects the absurdity of modern life in America, A Comedy Of Errors places Lo Talker firmly in the great lineage of Athens sonic luminaries like REM, Of Montreal, Widespread Panic, and the seminal Elephant 6 collective. After eight years leading his prior band Roadkill Ghost Choir, Shepard adorns Lo Talker’s music with reflexive lyrics and buoyant melodies that remind us that while the world is plunging to new levels of insanity, it does not mean that we have to follow suit. “Always try to grow, even if it hurts … and it usually always does.”
Lo Talker was founded by Shepard who was looking for a fresh start after leading his band Roadkill Ghost Choir for eight years, playing every major festival, an appearance on Late Night With David Letterman, and touring alongside Band of Horses. Also joining Shepard in the band are brother Zach (bass), who also played in Roadkill Ghost Choir, as well as Alec Stanley (guitar/keyboard), Rhett Fuller (guitar), and Jeremiah Johnson (drums). A Comedy Of Errors was produced, mixed, and engineered by a longtime friend of the band, Kevin Ratterman, known for his work with similar southern rock-inspired indie acts like Jim James, My Morning Jacket, and Strand Of Oaks, at his studio in Los Angeles.
