The new LP Life Is Strange is off the beaten path, even for iconoclastic Americana singer Garrett T. Capps. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Garrett T. Capps

“I want to live a life of balance; I want to live a full life,” San Antonio singer-songwriter Garrett T. Capps drawls in the opening line of his new album Life Is Strange.

The Alamo City native known for his cosmic blending of country and Krautrock has developed into one of the most prolific writers of this town has seen. He turns out albums with such frequency that he can afford to release material with minimal fanfare, which is precisely what he did with Life Is Strange.

“Somewhere along the way I got it in my head that you have to do a full press rollout — music videos, tour, blah, blah, blah — for an album when you release it,” Capps told the Current. “I think it is totally fine, but it is exhausting and stressful.”

Life Is Strange is off the beaten path, even for Capps.

“This is my most personal and honest album so far, foos,” he explained on his Bandcamp page.

“Losin’ My Mind” pulls back the veil on Capps’ fears — the isolation of an only child, the loss of his father and his struggles with trust and love.

With titles like “Endless Hole,” “I’m Afraid To Go Outside” and “Toxic Serenity,” it’s easy to tell Capps was in a different headspace than when he wrote earlier favorites including “People Are Beautiful” and “Flow State.”

Even the song “Happy Birthday” from Life Is Strange features the refrain “Happy birthday … we’re all gonna die.”

Capps’ new album doesn’t feature his usual backing band, NASA Country. Credit: Courtesy Image / Garrett T. Capps

Although a diversion from his normal output, Capps still showcases his patented flair with penning catchy dance songs — despite their downbeat subject matter, both “I’m Afraid To Go Outside” and “Toxic Serenity” both qualify. He also includes trademark emotional ballads (“For You & I” and “Floatin’”) and his introspective, genre-blending take on Americana highlights the title track.

The session for Life Is Strange germinated after the release of 2023’s People Are Beautiful, the third album of his “Shadows Trilogy.”

Although Capps works most consistently with the backing band NASA Country, he brought in a different team to realize Life Is Strange.

“They have all been friends of mine for a while,” Capps said of the musicians on his latest release. “I wanted to make a cowpunkish album and called ‘em up.”

The sessions took place at The Zone recording studio in Dripping Springs. Pat Manske engineered the recording, and it was produced by David Beck, the onetime musical partner of outlaw country singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen. Beck also contributed bass, accordion and backing vocals.

In addition to the essential guitar-bass-and-drums foundation, Life Is Strange features flourishes of accordion, keys, pedal steel, fiddle and even saxophone. Despite the rich arrangements, the album has a simpler feel than some of Capps’ most recent releases.

That may reflect why he put it out into the world with such little hoopla.

“I decided it would be cool to release this album kinda the way I recorded it,” Capps said. “No frills.”

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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 1, 2025.