Human Labor is a real band from Huntsville, Alabama. Matt McDaniel (guitar/vocals), Garrett McGowan (bass), Jonathan Shrout (drums), and Davis Yarbrough (guitar) are Tennessee Valley DIY veterans with an affinity for cranked amps, thoughtful lyrics, and 90s indie rock like Pavement, Pixies, and Built to Spill. In this and other forms they have shared bills with Chayse Porter, Nightmare Boyzzz, Holy Youth, and Suburban Living.
The four-piece released its first single, Mesh Hat Advertisement, on March 25, 2022. The title track is a hallucinatory reflection on generational divides and climate change dread, beginning with a nervy, angular blast of power pop and ending in a dreamy wash of shoegaze. B-side "It Was Fine the Next Day" examines the friction of new relationships through warmly remembered fumblings as the music swings back and forth from quiet, swirling eddies to crashing distortion. "Christenberry" returns to the theme of climate change anxiety to close out the three-song set, with warm, golden-hour tinged guitars and vocal harmonies layered over racing drums. Pairs well with late summer evenings, porches.
