Today, Carriers — the visionary project of Cincinnati’s Curt Kiser and your favorite bands’ favorite new band — releases Every Time I Feel Afraid, their debut album for the revered Brooklyn label Brassland (The National, This Is The Kit, Bartees Strange). Listen to Every Time I Feel Afraid here.

“It feels like the beginning of a new chapter,” Kiser says. “I think we’ve all experienced thoughts and feelings similar to the ones I’m touching on through the chapters of life explored in this album: heartbreak, uncertainty, and finding true love. Being a songwriter helps me feel less afraid. I hope this album can become a companion for folks as they connect with the songs, and if I’m lucky, maybe takes a spot on their record shelf for decades to come.”

It’s a special record born of resilience: lush and windswept folk-rock that magnifies the discouraging blows and fortuitous glimmers of hope that one encounters while running down a dream. It’s a saga most anyone pursuing a career in music can relate to — perhaps a reason why artists like Sharon Van Etten, Bartees Strange, Caamp, and Band Of Horses are all avowed Carriers fans, or why tracks are earning grassroots radio support from the likes of KCRW, KEXP, and WXPN.

Aside from the blunt economic realities of touring, Kiser has also endured some scary bad breaks. “While driving downtown, my partner and I were hit by a drunk driver, then assaulted by the person who hit us,” Kiser recounts. “A few days later, my rental van was broken into while I was on a short run of shows in Chicago. We borrowed some gear, got through the gig, and returned home and I wrote this song quietly and recorded a voice memo. My laptop — which held all of my demo recordings, was one of the things stolen. Thankfully, they missed the hard drive.”

However, amid all of these challenges, there were reasons for hope — Carriers were building a devoted following around Cincinnati and they scored opening runs for the likes of Band Of Horses, Fruit Bats, Big Thief, Sam Evian, Heartless Bastards, Good Looks, Michael Nau, and Damien Jurado. The National’s Bryan Devendorf, who befriended Kiser after a chance encounter at the Cincinnati Zoo, had become something of a booster and mentor. His bandmates in The National took to Carriers as well, even selecting Carriers’ demo version of “Be The One” — which closes Every Time I Feel Afraid — as the walk-on soundtrack for The National’s first live shows post-pandemic in Paris and Spain.

These moments of adversity and fortune weave through “Mixed Emotions.” The track’s raw honesty peaks in lines such as, “Hey, you messed up my feelings / fucked around with my head again / you got the better of me today / Don’t take me down too far,” reflecting the emotional turbulence of Kiser’s journey which, to this moment, has been marked by profound challenges and serendipitous breaks.

Watch / listen to “Mixed Emotions” here.

Stand-out track “Motion” is a poetic exploration of inner struggle, resilience, and the yearning for progress amidst feelings of stagnation and emotional turmoil. Through its vivid imagery and anthemic chorus, the song captures a universal human experience: the tension between feeling stuck and the desperate need to move forward, even when the path is unclear.

Other tracks like “Blurry Eyes” — with its Amen Dunes and Here We Go Magic inspired groove mixed by Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, Glenn Hansard, Kurt Vile) — center on the belief to overcome doubt, hesitation, and uncertainty. Kiser’s gentle, Neil Young-adjacent vocal is cast against swelling brass and a gorgeous landscape of sonic colors.

Lead single “Sometimes” is crisp and anthemic — a cosmic swirl of heartland hallucinations, motorik Americana, and plainspoken poeticism in the vein of Tom Petty or Kurt Vile.

“In My Head” was written for Kiser’s partner Kristin, whose support was an inspiration for so much of the album. “She loves dance tracks, and during that summer of 2018, there was a new wave dance night we would go to together in Northside, Cincinnati, where we now live. I definitely think the song took some inspiration from those nights. I made the demo on bass instead of guitar, added arpeggiated synth, and sang over that. She loved it.”

The album features contributions from The National’s Bryan Devendorf, The War on Drugs’ Dave Hartley, Beirut’s Ben Lanz, and studio veteran Dave Nelson (Joanna Newsom, Lonnie Holley, Jonsi, Taylor Swift). The songs showcase Kiser’s knack for dreamy, atmospheric storytelling. The album also includes a haunting cover of Sharon Van Etten’s “Every Time The Sun Comes Up,” a nod of gratitude to Sharon for being so supportive during Kiser’s music journey.

Cincy music scene institution Shake It! Records has partnered with Carriers to put out a special vinyl version of Every Time I Feel Afraid, available here.

Carriers will be supporting the release of Every Time I Feel Afraid with live dates across the midwest, including Nashville, Chicago, and an album release show at Cincinnati’s historic Woodward Theater on May 24. See full itinerary below.

LIVE DATES
May 4: Nashville, TN @ The Basement w/ Chrome Pony, Sam Moss & Omnipleasant
May 5: Louisville, KY @ B-Side w/ Sam Moss + Maggie Halfman
May 24: Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward Theater (album release show) w/ Dyan & Gardener
May 25: Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups w/ Mery Steel & Little Miami
May 28: Indianapolis, IN @ HiFi w/ The Matriarch
May 29: Grand Rapids, MI @ Speciation Cellars w/ Major Murphy & Turtledoves
May 30: Chicago, IL @ Color Club w/ Major Murphy & Sunny Falls