Koe Wetzel Drops Surprise Album, ‘Harold Saul High’

Koe Wetzel and his rocking band commemorated the first official day of summer with a surprise album, Harold Saul High. The Texas country artist dropped the much-anticipated project with little notice on Friday (June 21).

Harold Saul High begins with a skit about a high school talent show, but it's hardly a coherent story about 30-somethings longing for teenage kicks. The record's standout tracks tell tales about abusive relationships ("Make Believe"), fractured love ("Nothing Left to Say") and other topics much deeper and darker than grade-school nostalgia.

Sonically, Wetzel and company dabble in everything from guitar-rock ballads ("Powerball") to melodic Red Dirt story songs ("What You Deserve"), further establishing themselves as one of Texas' more versatile and skilled exports. According to TexasMusicPickers.com, Taylor Kimball produced the the 15-track album, which features three skits; Kimball is also behind Wetzel's last album, 2016's Noise Complaint, and the 2017 EP Austin.

"Harold Saul High is Koe Wetzel being 100-percent Koe Wetzel but adding a new level of songwriting that proves Koe belongs at the forefront of this scene," writes Radio Texas, Live! host Buddy Logan in a statement posted on Wetzel's website. "It’s '90s and early 2000s punk-rock meets raw, hillbilly, east Texas country music. This album marries the authenticity of Koe’s live performance with an even better look into the mind and soul of the writer behind the pen, all at the same time appreciating the wit and heart of Koe in his nature as a fun-loving dude who loves to have a good time."

Harold Saul High is available via Apple Music and Spotify. Wetzel's tour calendar currently includes dates through mid-December; visit KoeWetzelMusic.com for the full list of dates.

Koe Wetzel, Harold Saul High Track Listing: 

1. "Talent Show"
2. "Forever"
3. "What You Deserve"
4. "Make Believe"
5. "Too High to Cry"
6. "Nothing Left to Say"
7. "She Can't Stop Crying"
8. "7th Period"
9. "Powerball"
10. "L.T.W.Y.H.M."
11. "The Worst Part"
12. "One and Only"
13. "Ragweed"
14. "Morning Announcements
15. "Sancho"

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