Rough Age

Rough Age, the musical alias of multi-instrumentalist/looper Nathan Archer & friends, is an artist caught between rock and roots, intimate and universal, roaring band and crooning songwriter. Witness “Al Jazeera”, a gypsy-acoustic-pop puzzle in rotation on Colorado Springs’ KEPC, which compares a disintegrating relationship to Middle Eastern upheaval. Album opener “Adelita” laments urban tragedy over ringing power chords, evoking the classic rock of Springsteen or The Hold Steady. Throughout “Before It Comes Apart” the vocals shine and shudder compellingly. Even more so live, where Archer employs a home-built stomp box and looper gear to build layers of lo-fi and organic sounds, spinning the songs into an uncanny but beautiful chaos.