Dirt Buyer: Dirt Buyer III

"Being coerced into recreational activities against your will suggests a unique type of loneliness-for Sutkowski, one that represents emotional trials far deeper than just an unhappy season in dusty cleats. "Baseball is somethin' I'll never get/But I sleep on it/Wake up and try again," he sings on opener "Baseball," which relays the idea into an album-spanning theme about isolation and childhood angst."

"Originally envisioned as a fake band, Dirt Buyer have been searching for an identity to call their own since their 2019 self-titled debut. Sutkowski hasn't quite circled the bases, but he's getting closer. Emerging from a stormy period in Sutkowski's life, III's blend of emo, slowcore, and folk works great as a cathartic emotional exercise thanks to its visceral themes and weighty sound, even though the record seldom adds anything new to an ever-evolving emo canon."

Dirt Buyer III frames forced little league participation as a metaphor for loneliness and childhood angst, beginning with the opener "Baseball" and its refrain 'Baseball is somethin' I'll never get/But I sleep on it/Wake up and try again.' Dirt Buyer evolved from a fake band concept since 2019, with Sutkowski moving toward a clearer identity. The record blends emo, slowcore, and folk into weighty, cathartic songs. The album is most effective when heavy, combining distorted instrumentation and subdued bridges. "Bullshit Fuck" alternates a grating, ranting first half with an introspective instrumental second half. "Me Before You" builds from spacey guitars to an abrasive finale.

Read at Pitchfork