From Merced, California, Ian Smith is New American Hustle, an artist who churns out irreverent pieces of alternative rock with intrusions of electronic elements
Influenced by stellar bands like U2, Coldplay, David Bowie, Goldfrapp, Radiohead, Motown, and many more, to create his genuine and spontaneous music he develops loops, hires singers and musicians to complete the tracks, and then sends them to his engineer Alessandro Salza for mix and mastering.
There are no unnecessary frills in his music, which sounds direct, accompanied by pindaric arrangements, hypnotic melodies and lyrics that bring out the grungest part of reality.
New American Hustle’s debut album “La Soma Vita” is a pure and raw number, rounded by lo-fi sounds and persuasive female vocals. It relentlessly, sometimes cruelly, aims to transmit in all its entirety the inherent strength and density in his musical message. But as the artist himself explains: “There is a “theme” or “sound” within these nine songs that connects. The song titles are just windows into the music. The lyrics are meaningless and meaningful at the same time. Very open-ended and up to the listener to interpret and make sense of on their own terms. The audience is smart, I don’t want to patronize them by attaching some hollow, contemporary narrative to them.”
While “La Soma Vita” is already available digitally on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube, New American Hustle’s next project “Climb And Crawl“, an 11-track album, is expected in the first quarter of 2020.
To keep in touch with New American Hustle follow him on Instagram.