Aging is a trip. People wear their years in interesting ways. If you find yourself mining your past through the traces of your face you are certainly not alone. Choosing who you hitch your wagon to can be of utmost importance and at the risk of being reductive, be careful who you fuck with. Remorse is always just a stone’s throw away.

Fittingly, this collaboration is a long time coming. The history between New York artist PremRock and Backwoodz Studioz is deep, forged on hardscrabble cross-country tours, late Brooklyn nights, DIY showcases and one very memorable wedding. This long association was formalized with Backwoodz release of ShrapKnel in 2020: a rowdy collaboration between PremRock and Curly Castro that has earned praise from fans and critics alike. PremRock’s solo LP Load Bearing Crow’s Feet is a different animal, pensive and at times poignant, exploring themes as universal as they are evergreen. Bar-stool prophets, weary junkies, timecard punchers and unrepentant grifters all share the same shabby stage, knowing all too well that past is prologue.

Buoyed as always by the redoubtable Willie Green, the backdrop is a diverse collage of the underground’s vanguard du jour, led by tracks from Denmark Vessey, Small Professor, BrainOrchestra, Messiah Musik, Fresh Kils, Zilla Rocca, and Prem himself. A true to form Backwoodz affair features guest vocals from ELUCID, Fielded, Curly Castro, Henry Canyons, as well as AJ Suede and cuts by Marcus Pinn. Art direction by Kyle Tierce of Memetic Supply.

This is not PremRock’s first album but it is his most fully realized work, imbued with humanity, wit and rare emotional depth. Load Bearing Crow’s Feet is a stirring testimony to an emerging talent, a lifetime in the making.