Joshua Schramm and Kevin Suggs have played together before as part of a larger ensemble and their reciprocity stands out on “Anyhow.” Under the name Schruggs, they grace Ball of Wax 56 with this buoyant roots-pop number that functions as a bittersweet ode to love lost, and they sound like a human portmanteau, an amalgam of the best qualities of two artists serving a single purpose.
Schramm delivers his message in a comfortably homey drawl, accompanied by a fingerpicked acoustic guitar that chimes out a melody that will stay with you long after learning of arms haunted by the ghost of an embrace and the admission of having thrown it all away. The end of each gilded lick is given space to ring by an absent or unaccented fourth beat from the otherwise chest-thumping percussion that may be live, electronic, or maybe another near-perfect combination in a song full of them.
Be sure to listen to “Anyhow” on headphones at some point, because there are several sonic elements—such as a buried vocal coo that colors parts of the song in a very different hue—that are best experienced with the music up close and personal. And speaking of up close and personal, be sure to catch Schruggs at the Ball of Wax 56 release show this Thursday, June 20, at 8pm at The Blue Moon!