Al Menne Shares 'Freak Accident' From Debut Album

Al Menne releases “Freak Accident,” the title track from their upcoming debut solo album, Freak Accident, out this Friday, September 22nd on Double Double Whammy. The song’s acerbic refrain of the title track—amplified by group vocals from musician and comedian Whitmer Thomas— reshapes a self-deprecating and faintly ominous admission into a mantra that seems to embrace all of life’s whims: “I’m a freak accident / head-on collision just waiting to happen.”

Embedded in the act of calling themself a “freak” is the underlying feeling of not belonging, which Menne calls “a big theme in the writing. I grew up feeling like I didn’t really belong. I felt kind of like an outsider in my own family for a little bit. I’d ask myself, why do I feel so weird in all of these situations? And I think it’s because I’m trans, and I didn’t know it then.” This sense of physical and emotional displacement results in moments of missed connection that resound across the album like unanswered beacons.

Menne, best known as the lead singer of beloved Seattle band Great Grandpa, writes songs filled with clever melodies and honeyed, homespun rock arrangements that showcase their taut songwriting, as evidenced by the album’s previous singles “Kill Me,” “Grandma’s Garden,” and “Beth.”

They manage to collapse a maze of gnarled emotions into clear, direct, and inviting pathways, often using humor as an access point to something more profound. Their debut solo album was produced by Christian Lee Hutson, engineered and mixed Melina Duterte (Jay Som), and features contributions from guitarist Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) and comedian and musician Whitmer Thomas. 

Additionally, Al Menne will playing a record release show this week at Los Angeles’ famed Bob Baker Marionette Theater on Thursday, September 21st and has announced one in New York on October 6th at Purgatory in Brooklyn. Tickets are available now.

Photo Credit: Seannie Bryan 

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