As if all the anxieties, fears, and worries of the year 2020 could be encapsulated in programed beats and arpeggiated synths, Parker Longbough offers up Crackle/Hiss, his fifth full length album. Like many indie rock veterans, Parker Longbough, the recording name of Anchorage native Matthew Witthoeft, has been doing this for a while. His 2006 debut, Commander Comatose, was well-received, receiving accolades from the likes of NPR and the then-nascent blogging community. He has been growing up and writing albums about it along the way, making music that people immediately connect to, making music that sounds familiar.

Parker Longbough typically lays it’s sonic nods to the energy and rumble of 90’s era indie rock. Crackle/Hiss is different however, showing Witthoeft’s willingness to explore the unconventional sounds that modern home recording and computer equipment allow. The variety, depth, and nuance of the sonic landscapes show Parker Longbough has and adventurous musical spirit even in the most dour of times for music and society at large.

Drummer Eric Price (Wagner Logic, Smile Ease) provides live drums and bass. His presence is immediately felt on opener “Kirkland.” With a bouncing bassline and a frenetic electric piano this song sets the mood of an album detailing and documenting the stress of living in a pandemic. Crackle / Hiss delivers a lo-fi mixture of electronic and mangled acoustic sounds that could easily be described as varied yet still cohesive. Distorted 808s and spluttering synths dance around and within the sounds of acoustic drums, bass, and guitars laid to tape.

“Kirkland” was written about Witthoeft’s experience with his mother being admitted to an extended medical care facility at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Youngster” laments the real-life story of 3 promising SoundCloud rappers who died prematurely. “Selling Guitar Picks” was written by Witthoeft after one particularly disappointing trip to Guitar Center. Witthoeft was watching the live footage of the fire of the Notre Dame Cathedral when he wrote “Crackle and Hiss.” “Shit Leopard,” is an ode to both Witthoeft’s wife and Jim Lahey from the “Trailer Park Boys.” Witthoeft’s dog makes an appearance on that song as well as being the topic of the song “Moose Bone.”

Even in the closing moments of the album, Parker Longbough continues to confront 2020 head on, you think Tom Hanks, and this thing is real it’s all just a disguise he sings in a deadpan voice on “March of the Pangolins.” Witthoeft leaves you wondering whether he’s in on the conspiracy or he thinks that they’re all being played. In contrast to the lyrics of conspiracy and inevitable unemployment, the music of the song harkens the mellow electronic pop of U2 or Coldplay, adding to the general sense of unease about how Parker Longbough feels about the state of things in 2020.

Crackle/Hiss is an album about taking all the noise, anxiety, and insanity and attempting to make some sense of it (gain clarity out of all of it) and chart a path forward. It is a portrait of society ripping itself apart at the seams and one simple musicians attempt to make some sense of it.

Crackle / Hiss is released 1/15/21 by