“Throughout Early Riser, Statz showcases the tremendous band he surrounded himself with — including Billy Conway on drums and Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass — while shining a light on his own stunning songwriting skills.
He pivots from singing about his own privilege on the jaw-dropping “What Would You Call That” — “As I enjoy, as I inhale / Thousands of people still sittin’ in jail / And I can go anywhere” — to lamenting his complete lack of survival skills on “Take Me in the First Wave” — “I ain’t got, I ain’t got no basement bunker or canned goods or a gun or a plan / I’ll just be, I’ll just be sitting on my back porch, just my cat, some books, my guitar, and weed.” Regardless of where Statz draws inspiration, though, his voice and focus are clear on every track as he strives to give listeners something to cling to.”