Heart Strung Pop: Inside Ryan Allen’s New Autobiographical Album
Prolific power-pop punk Ryan Allen celebrates love and lineage in new album.
“It’s not very rock n’ roll to talk about having a kid, but I don’t care.”
Ryan Allen
Ryan Allen began writing and playing songs with bands like Thunderbirds Are Now!, Friendly Foes, Red Shirt Brigade, and Destroy This Place nearly 15 years ago. Describing his music as “power pop music played by a guy who likes Black Flag,” his hook-heavy melodies call back to the indie greats of the ‘90s like Sloan, Teenage Fanclub and Guided By Voices (of which he’s recorded a few covers).
Now playing as Ryan Allen and His Extra Arms, he releases his second solo album, Heart String Soul, shifting the lens towards himself as he looks back at his career in music. Allen sits down with WDET’s Travis Wright to talk about his life, family, and playing music as a solo artist.
– Eli Newman, Culture City assoc. producer
