Truman Sinclair Talks “American Recordings"
A few weeks before the release of his debut album, “American Recordings,” Truman Sinclair spoke to 20 Watts about growing up, his evolving sound, and finding beauty in this country during bleak times.
Words by Harry Sutton / Graphic by Michael Loya
As a teenager, Truman Sinclair spent his time penning emo anthems imbued with the feelings of suburban ennui. With angsty tracks about playing Call of Duty or watching “Die Hard” with his mom, Sinclair’s band, Frat Mouse, launched him into the emo and punk scenes of Los Angeles when he was still in high school. Now at the age of 22, after hundreds of shows and a handful of albums with Frat Mouse, Sinclair has pivoted to a new path with his debut solo album, “American Recordings.”
Although his emo bent was formed during his adolescent years, jamming in garages in the suburbs of Chicago and later LA, Sinclair has always had an affinity for folk music. Thanks to his parents, he grew up listening to the genre’s legends like Cash, Dylan, and Guthrie. After writing his first solo song, “Dog,” in 2021, Sinclair discovered a more authentic form of self-expression in folk music.
“For the past couple of years, it was almost like [Frat Mouse] was a tribute to a past version of myself. It still felt really honest because it was a real part of me, but I wanted to sing something that pertained more to how I feel now.”
Although emo and metal remain integral parts of Sinclair’s musical identity, the shift towards folk came naturally. “In a sense, it was something that just came back to me,” Sinclair explained. With that, fuzzy electric guitar lines gave way to calm acoustic melodies, and angsty songs with Gen-Z titles like “gigachad jawline” were replaced by a nostalgic, tumbleweed-laden world created by a true folk songwriter.
“American Recordings” is a call for optimism. While many Americans chose to hang their heads in gloom following the 2024 election results, Sinclair used the record to focus on what makes this country great, regardless of political discord.
Partially inspired by road trips that Sinclair took across the country, much of the imagery on the record evokes a sense of wonderment towards the seemingly endless beauty of America’s nature. With a wistful and reverent tone, Sinclair’s songs deify the beauty of American landscapes, conjuring images that mirror the grandeur of a Frederic Edwin Church painting. Lead single “Joel Roberts” tells a gun-slinging tale from the Wild West, complete with a Dylan-esque harmonica break, while “Chicago Flood” channels the voice of an American wanderer, with Sinclair belting “I never know where I’m going / But I go.”
“There's a level of vulnerability that comes with writing something that's more earnest, but I think I was ready to do that because I was older and had learned more about the world.”
Perhaps Sinclair’s most striking track thus far, “Black Train” evokes a sense of urgency and frustration towards political inaction on climate change. Inspired by Woody Guthrie’s “Little Black Train,” where the train serves as a metaphor for death, Sinclair repurposes the image to represent the impending environmental crisis. The line “Dirty green signs blind beaten bought eyes,” critiques lobbying and the control that corporate greed has over legislation. While emo music gave Sinclair the language to scream his frustrations, folk gave him the patience to sit with them. It may have been easier to write a downcast, bitter album about politics, but Sinclair wanted “American Recordings” to focus on the brighter parts of the country.
“There are things about [America] that I love and there are things about it that I really don’t love. What I wanted to do was make one thing to be like, that’s the America I’m talking about when I say ‘God bless the U.S.’ You know what I mean?”
Since his early work with Frat Mouse, Sinclair has always been captivated by sound recording and engineering. He records, mixes, and masters all of his music in his bedroom, and developed his skills while working as a studio runner in college. Sinclair put the album together over a three-month marathon in his final semester before graduating from USC, where he would wake up at 6 a.m., record in the morning, go to classes, and come back to record deep into the night. While Sinclair’s previous solo EPs and work with Frat Mouse featured DIY, lo-fi production, “American Recordings” showcases how far Sinclair’s skills have come.
“This new record is a culmination of everything I’ve learned about songwriting and recording music. I really want it to act almost as a resume for recording other people’s bands.”
“American Recordings” marks Sinclair’s first statement as a fully realized artist, showcasing his development in songwriting, production, and emotional maturity. Sinclair steps beyond his emo roots into a sound that feels both vastly expansive and deeply introspective. Looking ahead, he hopes to take the record on tour and have it serve as a launchpad for his career in production and engineering. “American Recordings” comes out on February 14th.