I’ll start with a confession. Sure, I’m a born-and-raised New Yorker, but put on a good honky-tonk tune and I’m sold. Luckily, I didn’t have to go too far. Ithaca-based Drew Kiddoo and The Blackouts’ new single, “Black Widow,” pulls from outlaw country, then twists those influences into something rougher and packed with attitude. Call it New York with a Southern drawl.
Country Grit, New York Bite
“Black Widow” is impossible to shake off. It tells the tale of a two-faced friendship, with a hard-driving rhythm and cinematic strings casting a simmering sense of danger.
Drew Kiddoo’s vocal cuts through the track with enough force to command your attention, while the rhythm barrels forward like a runaway train. The strings pull the song toward the eerie, darker side of folk music. And boy, is that chorus catchy. Before you know it, “Black Widow” is stuck in your head.
A Darker Arrangement
A masterful arrangement brings the song’s darker character to life. A galloping drumbeat and upright bass give the track a train-like momentum, while the electric guitar adds the sharp snap of old-school country. Cinematic strings stretch out behind it, dark and uneasy, bringing a sense of menace.
That blend of sounds comes from a band that has spent years moving beyond its original country roots. After moving from California to Ithaca in 2017, Kiddoo made the wild jump from being a rapper in Los Angeles to pursuing country music. The band initially chased the pristine country sound of the 1970s, but Kiddoo eventually grew bored with staying too close to traditional country. And with boredom often comes a little rebellion.
Now, the band is less concerned with fitting neatly into one genre. The new single still has its boots planted in country, but everything around it is louder, darker and rougher around the edges.
Drew Kiddoo and The Blackouts released “Black Widow” on July 31. Listen to the single here.
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