acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Ruston Kelly has released Dirt Emo Vol. 2 via Rounder Records. Kelly continues to reimagine the genre and more with Dirt Emo, Vol. 2. Listen here.
Dirt Emo Vol. 2 consists of five well-known cover tracks, including Kelly’s stripped-back version of American Hi-Fi’s Flavor of the Weak.
“Flavor of the Weak may be the quintessence of my belief that pop punk/emo songs are just new age/angsty folk tunes,” Kelly explains. “So ping pongy in its catchiness, and so simple melodically and thematically. Like something that could easily be passed on by campfire, or like walking in Kenwood Mall with your friends after school. I used to listen to this song when I had a crush on a girl in high school, and she was dating like the shittiest dudes ever.”
Previously released from Dirt Emo Vol. 2 is an earnest cover of Morgan Wallen’s Sand In My Boots and a honeyed take on Avril Lavigne’s Complicated, which features frequent collaborator Annie DiRusso. Also included on Vol. 2 are the Goo Goo Dolls’ Slide and Yellowcard’s Only One.
In celebration of the second volume’s release, Kelly performed two sold out Dirt Emo Nights at The Basement East in Nashville on March 10 and 11 which included special guests All Time Low, Judah Akers (Judah & the Lion), Tommy Prine, Katie Pruitt and Annie DiRusso. He will also be playing at Railbird Music Festival in Lexington, KY on May 31.
As a commended songwriter himself, Ruston Kelly has a penchant for re-interpreting songs by other writers. Dirt Emo Vol. 1 received high critical praise and became a fan-favourite release featuring covers of songs by artists by such as Taylor Swift, Dashboard Confessional, The Carter Family, Wheatus, Saves the Day and Blink 182. The New York Times said of the project, “The album’s dozen songs, propelled by his Americana and pop-punk tastes, thread the tension between downbeat and shimmery…”
Listen to Dirt Emo Vol. 2 here and visit RustonKelly.com for more info.
