Claude VonStroke Releases Experimental 4th Studio Album, Freaks & Beaks

Claude VonStroke is throwing it back to the early days of Dirtybird with his latest album.

Author:: Cameron Sunkel
Publish date:: Feb 22, 2020

Claude VonStroke has returned with the release of his fourth studio album, Freaks & Beaks. The new effort also kicks off a yearlong celebration commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of Claude VonStroke's famed Dirtybird label and brand.

The album arrives over six years after Urban Animal by Claude VonStroke (real name Barclay Macbride Crenshaw), which was released back in 2013. With Freaks & Beaks, Crenshaw set out to align the project with the sounds that elevated Dirtybird to prominence in the first place.

Embracing the DIY spirit of the brand, Crenshaw didn't hesitate to get experimental in the studio. The producer utilized new hardware, sampled his own vocals, and embedded lighthearted sketches amid the pumping kick drums and bass lines. The offbeat humor is best captured on the album's final track, "Birthday Messages," a wonky voicemail message compilation paying tribute to the Dirtybird brand.

Dirtybird will have no shortage of 15-year celebrations in 2020 as the label has over two dozen events and three festivals, including the Dirtybird Campout festival, planned for this year. More information on their upcoming 15th anniversary events can be found on their website.