Connecticut rock n’ roll trio Bilge Rat just dropped a tender acoustic session video for “Jon Puked Last Night,” crafted by the very skilled videographers over at Spectacles Sessions. Their mission statement is to challenge artists to reimagine a song of theirs and play it in an unusual location, and they chose an abandoned train station in Philly for this shoot (right in front of a tag that reads FUCK COPS). As someone named Jon who has in fact puked on some undisclosed previous night, I find this track relatable, and I’m happy to share it with you.
Although I’m told that Bilge Rat is a three-piece, “Jon Puked Last Night” features only singer/guitarist Mike Kusek, who used to pay sad solo folk songs under his own name before moving on to Bilge Rat. Flashing a barely-comfortable smile ahead of the song, Kusek treats us to a dawdling and looping folky number that reminds me both of Daniel Rossen solo projects and those oh-so-intimate early Porches live sessions. “I made my breakfast / take out the garbage,” Kusek sings and strums in unison, spinning a yarn of domesticity that proves to be both modest and somewhat melancholy. This is in direct contrast to how the sound of Bilge Rat was described to me:
After checking out their bandcamp, I’d have to agree; Bilge Rat is both grungy and artful in a powerful, grab-you-by-the-throat kind of way. If I were you, I’d definitely keep my eye on them for future releases – they just might be the coolest band to come out of Connecticut in the past few years.
Keep up with Bilge Rat on social media and buy their music on bandcamp.
