More than 40 years removed from Antietam’s early underground days in Hoboken, N.J., The Counting Game (Dromedary) arrives at a moment when uncertainty is as unavoidable as breathing. It’s a reality that weighed heavily on Tara Key while writing “Way Too Well” and the rest the songs for the trio’s 14th LP.
“As I was making this record under the geopolitical equivalent of a tornado warning, I questioned if I even had the right—the privilege—to be creative,” says Antietam’s celebrated guitarist and primary songwriter. “But progress isn’t a straight line. It’s gain, loss, gain.”
Antietam has always been prototypical critics’ darlings: a brashly cerebral female-led guitar band that’s not-so-quietly assembled one of the richest, most unpredictable catalogs of the post-punk era. The Counting Game continues that tradition. Alongside Key’s explosive guitar work, the album incorporates unexpected textures from Kentucky banjo master Steve Cooley and atmospheric touches from Mark Howell, Tara Jane O’Neil and Tim and Katie Gentile. An appearance from drummer Josh Madell’s daughter, Trixie, feels like a full-circle moment for a group that’s always trusted its instincts and led with its heart.
“I’ve lived through cycles of events that were shocking and catastrophic, and ones that were insidious and stealth in their invasion,” says Key. “It always comes down to this: Care. It’s worked before. And that’s what you can do, in whatever form it takes.”
We’re proud to premiere “Way Too Well.” The Counting Game is out August 28.
—Hobart Rowland
