Mike Montrey Band Release “Searching For My Soul” (LP)

American rock albums have gone through a process in recent years, becoming something new altogether. There’s no honor in being a straightforward rock band anymore, and no room at the top for any newcomers, so anyone looking to make it big has to get creative. Thankfully, not everyone is dead set on being the largest band in the world, and the music industry is full of creative minds — Mike Montrey Band just so happens to be one of the smartest bands in the indie rock genre working today, and their latest album Searching For My Soul is a perfect example of why.

Arriving as their fourth full-length LP, Searching For My Soul touches on a lot of the same techniques that have made Mike Montrey Band an indie mainstay for the last decade. In a press release for the record, Montrey said “The title of the album really says a lot about the songs we recorded here. […] It’s what they and my journey, be it through the lens of past, present or potential future, are about. Never settled in my mind and for a while in my body. It’s a beautiful thing, but it can sometimes be difficult to navigate daily. These tunes are about those physical and emotional journeys, whether it’s my narrative or a narrative told from another’s perspective.” The aimless drifter, the troubadour that never settles, every song’s subject feels akin to Montrey’s sensibilities.

While Searching For My Soul is an album that only clocks in with seven tracks to its name, each of the seven packs a unique punch that feels like its own creation. There’s no derivative pandering in hopes of achieving crossover success, just fine-tuned rock music with heart and passion bursting out of its seams. Fans will gravitate towards singles “So Long City of Angels” and “I Can’t Wait Any Longer” as these two tracks, in particular, feel the readiest for primetime radio airplay, but each song packs a knockout punch in its own way. “Reno,” the third, softer single, delivers a softly-produced song about the man on the road, not necessarily running from anything, but not not running from anything, either. “Held On To You” brings in a brass section that the band uses to great effect, delivering a personal favorite from the album with the slowed-down tempo acting as a breath of fresh air. Swaying back and forth, it’s the last call at the bar, and this one’s for you.

Closing the album on “Searching For The Sun” is maybe the best decision on the record. It delivers a major emotional blow to send listeners out on, and if that isn’t the best way to finish an album, I don’t know what is. “Looking back on this 20-year journey from my first band ….water… through my years playing with The Samples through this wild ride with MMB, it’s really been an incredible, constantly inspiring ride. I truly was this person, I’ve been to these places, maybe I still am and will always be this person,” Montrey says. Searching For My Soul is a beautiful testament to a life well lived, and a band at the summit. Search no more, Montrey, it seems like your soul is contained within this very record.

Trace Whittaker