Gary Klebe built his reputation as a founding member of Shoes, the pioneering power pop group who were recording DIY albums in their own living room back in 1977, years before punk made it fashionable. Now, more than five decades into that band’s run, Klebe steps out alone with “Room To Breathe,” the second single from his debut solo album ‘Out Loud,’ arriving April 17 via Black Vinyl Records.
This record is a genuine one-man operation. Klebe wrote every song alone and recorded almost everything himself, serving as engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist in his own basement studio, working nights and weekends around his ongoing work with Shoes. Drums were tracked in Nashville with John Richardson (Gin Blossoms, Badfinger, Tommy Keene), but the rest came together through vintage gear, favorite stompboxes, and decades of accumulated craft.
“Room To Breathe” opens ‘Out Loud’ with immediate urgency. Klebe describes it as a song about a man who has hit his tipping point, someone who finally understands that not making a decision is itself a decision. “He knows the time for action is in the here and now,” Klebe shares. “Gotta go. Gotta run. Gotta fly out of here.” Raw, distorted power chords collide with sharp pop melody, and the result is exactly what you’d hope from someone with Klebe’s track record.
The first single “Not Tough Enough” set the tone, a hook-driven, guitar-heavy track that drew immediate praise. ‘Out Loud’ is eleven tracks of that same energy, personal, propulsive, and built entirely on feel. Shoes have never stopped making music, and this album proves Klebe hasn’t either.
‘Out Loud’ Tracklist:
- Room To Breathe
- Not Tough Enough
- Love Beyond
- Wrong All Along
- Eyes Open Wide
- Shake Me
- No Afterglow
- Bridges Are Burned
- Won’t Quit On You
- Invading My Space
- In A Heartbeat