STRAW MAN ARMY - "True North" (2026, full album)

How can someone who walks in their sleep—a sleepwalker—ever find their "True North"? This is the first thought that the new album by Straw Man Army on La Vida es un Mus, brings to mind, marking a magnificent turning point following the New York band's remarkable trilogy developed between 2020 and 2024. The term true north refers to geographic north, as opposed to magnetic north, which a compass points towards and whose position shifts over time. But it also carries a symbolic meaning: it represents what guides us through life—our principles, our convictions, that moral compass which allows us to stay the course even when everything around us seems to be losing its bearings and falling apart. And how are we supposed to find our bearings in a world marked by violence, environmental collapse, and uncertainty about our future? I don't have the answer, nor do I pretend to. But there is something terrifying yet deeply fascinating about the possibility that we may be beginning to suspect that our true north—the very thing we believed we were searching for and which, paradoxically, also served as our guide—perhaps never existed quite as we imagined it. It is the conception of this album that has led me to ponder such questions. Because that, too, is what art is for: to make us stop and reflect on the things that the rush of everyday life erases from our thoughts. What I do know for certain is that "True North" is a wonderful album. A collection of eleven compositions that exceed expectations, transforming experimentation, acoustic instrumentation, and an embrace of psychedelia into soundscapes of extraordinary beauty. Straw Man Army seem to have found new forms of expression without abandoning their identity. And allowing yourself to be carried away by this album's sounds, its atmospheres, and its unexpected twists and turns may well be one of the finest musical experiences many of us will have in a long time. https://lavidaesunmus.bandcamp.com/al... 00:00 01. 11th Hour 02:21 02. Blood Tomorrow 05:57 03. Sleepwalker 09:34 04. Mourning Dove 12:49 05. Striking Home 15:24 06. Sky Burial 18:12 07. In The Garden 20:40 08. Straw Man Army 23:59 09. Alford 27:12 10. Falling Star 28:52 11. Laughing Landscapes Recorded by Ian Rose August 2025 - July 2026 at The Daisy Chain, NYC. Produced by SMA and Ian Rose. Mastered by Ville Valavuo. Lacquers cut by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road. Front cover sculpture: "Mudmaid" (1988) by Sue & Pete Hill, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, UK. Art and layouts by SMA. Back cover photo by Mac Pogue. Additional guitar, drums and experimentation by Moses Brown. Additional vocals by Franny. Samples on "Sky Burial" lifted from the films of Chris Marker (RIP). Tremendo Garaje: IG:   / tremendogaraje   FB:   / tremendogaraje   Uploaded with Paco's blessings