Whisperado

For two decades Whisperado, New York's own roots-rock band, has been crafting powerful songs that fuse literate lyrics with crackling, catchy music. The band's new full-length album, "Out the Door," shows that unlike many groups, Whisperado's longtime bandmates are rocking harder as they get older. The album features 15 tracks, 13 written by bassist/lead vocalist Jon Sobel and two artfully chosen covers. Rounding out the band are David Mills (drums), Patrick Nielsen Hayden (guitar and vocals), and Elisa Peimer (keyboards and vocals).

A deepening activist strain is evident in a full-band version of "Mass Extinction No. 6," the same hard-hitting song that was featured acoustically in the award-winning stop-motion video by Daniel Azarian. (Fans will also remember "Bang One Out," the antiwar single from Whisperado's early-2019 EP of that name.) But the band's penchant for pure fun is intact in new songs like to Bo Diddley-esque "Pretty Please," the novelty track "Nina" and the quirky garage-rock leadoff single "Vinegar Hill."