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"Maas originally set out to create an acoustic record, then planned to mix the folk feel of Leonard Cohen with the textures of the Wu-Tang Clan; there are echoes of those previous directions in the samples, drones, stiff drums and occasional picked guitar, but the vibe is more Joe Meek producing The Madcap Laughs." - Uncut
"Having upheld the Texas tradition of the 13th Floor Elevators-style lysergic emanations with The Black Angels, Alex Maas has gone deep into himself for a beautiful solo debut..."[Luca] combines considered, personal songwriting with a late-'60s edge of hazy paranoia, most of it informed by the joys and responsibilities of fatherhood." - Mojo
"Throughout [Luca], ghosts of pre-rock crooners, dustbowl troubadours, torch singers and bobby-sox balladers converge in a backwoods cabin thick with the fug of good grass..." - Shindig
"Alex Maas possesses one of the most timeless voices in Austin music and now you can really hear it....his voice pierces vintage pop landscape."- Austin Chronicle
"Leaving behind the fuzzy guitars of his band Black Angels, Alex Maas picks up his acoustic for his first solo album, Luca...'The City' is especially intimate. "The enemy is always just outside the gates," says Alex of the track. 'Be ready for anything.'" - Brooklyn Vegan
"So many people eat hatred and feed it to their children. In "American Conquest," I'm trying to make the point that we collectively need to change the diets of parents if we expect the future to be bright." - Alex Maas
The lead singer of the Black Angels releases "American Conquest," the second single from the upcoming LP titled Luca (out on December 4, 2020).
Alex Maas of The Black Angels announces his mesmerizing and soul-bearing solo debut, Luca. Named for Maas’ firstborn, whose name means “bringer of light,” Luca was a long time coming, with some of its songs dating back almost a decade, put together piece-by-piece over the course of a couple years. A powerful work of gentle psychedelia, and a notable sonic departure from the heavy, pulse-raising sound that Maas has become renowned for, Luca was co-produced by Maas and Jack White’s front of house, Brett Orrison. The album showcases “a whole different part of my brain,” according to Maas. “I wanted to go someplace musically that I’ve never gone before.” What resulted is a hypnotic detour along the wild trails of Maas’ homestead of Texas, driven by nature and colored by a swirl of meditative thoughts about its creator's son, the often-scary world he was born into, and how to navigate the perils of modern society. Listen to the first single off the record, "Been Struggling" and read more over at Brooklyn Vegan & Clash.