American Wrestlers Premiere “Kelly”

Straight out of the early-’00s, in a good way.

January 27, 2015

With its brash, nostalgic hook and time-warped guitars, I think "Kelly" sounds kind of like a lo-fi Phoenix song, and my editor Larry says it reminds him of something Seattle indie Barsuk Records would have put out in the early-2000s. Actually, though, it's a track from an (anonymous for some reason) Scottish songwriter who lives in Missouri now and releases music as American Wrestlers. According to the Scotsman himself, "Kelly" is about the real-life Kelly Thomas, a mentally-ill homeless man who was beaten to death by police in Orange County in 2011. "It concerns some other things too," he told FADER over email. "Parts of America. Parts of people. Artless strips of neon over a trough that spreads further than any animal could ever walk." The song, premiering below, is off his eponymous debut, which drops April 7th via Fat Possum.

American Wrestlers Premiere “Kelly”