(New York, NY) With the September 27th release of the single “When Everything’s Over,” The Davenports - the project of indie-pop singer-songwriter, Scott Klass - announces the upcoming album, You Could’ve Just Said That. Coming from NYC bred / LA based indie label Mother West in January, the self-produced LP is true to its title in both sentiment and execution, making it the most heartfelt expression of a 25-year journey already characterized by frank, poignant insight.
With burbling bass and wistful melodicism that flits between nostalgic picture painting and dancy pop, the new single “When Everything’s Over” opens the album, setting off an overriding theme of the record about how indirect and evasive we all are with each other so much of the time. The song asks how blunt you can be with an aging, narcissistic family member who had chances to “do better” but never really did.
Formed in 2000, The Davenports is well-known for “Five Steps,” the theme song for A&E’s long-running, Emmy-nominated series Intervention. While Klass has remained the sole constant at the heart of the rotating Davenports collective, participants have included Danny Weinkauf, Dan Miller (They Might Be Giants), Claudia Chopek (Father John Misty, Bright Eyes), Eleanor Norton (Beyoncé, Adele, Natalie Merchant), Tommy Borscheid (Honeydogs, Rhett Miller), Erik Philbrook, Rob Draghi, and Cheri Leone.
Earning consistent critical acclaim for catchy yet nuanced songcraft and smart, narrative lyricism, Klass’ music has drawn comparisons to Weezer, Ben Folds, and Fountains of Wayne (Klass also plays alongside FoW frontman Chris Collingwood and Philip Price of The Winterpills in Look Park). You Could’ve Just Said That is the first Davenports album self-recorded at home, with Klass handling nearly every part alongside a few special guests, including his son Matthew (who played all guitar solos), and longtime collaborators Collingwood, Price, Chopek, and Norton.
“I really had tremendous freedom to just do whatever I wanted,” Klass says.
The result is charmingly unfiltered, moment-in-time expressions without third-party interpretations or expectations. Learning recording software as he went, Klass captured musical and lyrical notions right as they coalesced in his mind, free of the scheduled time constraints of commercial studios.
While the songs aren’t always directly autobiographical, You Could’ve Just Said That is the most intimate Davenports album to date, a record that embroiders a time-honored pop template tracing back to The Beatles, Jackson Browne, and Crowded House, heavy on melody and harmony, with layers of perception and reflection that peel back over several listens. Beneath the surface-level immediacy of ostensibly simple songwriting is a cultured emotional and musical intricacy that lends You Could’ve Just Said That rare depth and longevity. Add in its uniquely homespun production, and you’re left with a delightful anomaly in an era of multi-writer, multi-producer, pristine pop.
“This whole project came directly from my brain to my hands, right onto tape,” Klass concludes. “It’s more authentic and cohesive than almost anything I’ve ever done.”
