American Wrestlers - Ignoramus

Song of the Day
Hosted by Cheryl Waters
Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is "Ignoramus" by American Wrestlers, a 2018 self-released single.
WRITTEN BY JASMINE ALBERTSON
PHOTO BY Amber Knecht

St. Louis-by-way-of Scotland musician Gary McClure entered the music scene as American Wrestlers in 2015 when McClure quietly released his self-titled debut album of lo-fi songs recorded at home on a Tascam 8-track. He then followed that up with 2016's Goodbye Terrible Youth, which saw the band grow from a solo project to a full four-piece. Two years later, McClure is back with a new single, "Ignoramus." McClure says this of the wistful song: "It was going to be called 'The Lonesome Death Of The Alt-Right.' It was going to be called that and be a weird little country song with hokey lofi strings that bent into black memories. Then I felt a bit childish about it and second guessed it all and just decided to call it 'Ignoramus' instead. Same thing. Same difference. Maybe I should have kept the title. I’m still unsure. The words are from the perspective of someone who has everything and makes out like they have nothing. The seagulls were surprisingly intuitive. Just after I recorded the guitars for the drop at the end I immediately thought of the sound of birds and the open air. I don’t know why. I still have no idea what the hell I’m doing. These are easily my best batch of songs. I wrote and recorded the death out of them in St. Louis and sent them over to my friend Philip Kay for further production and instrumentation. Everything he touches turns to pure gold. They could be an album or they could be a bunch of singles. Whatever the kids want." Below, check out American Wrestlers' KEXP in-studio performance from last year. 

 

 

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