Trans Am

About

Also known as: TransAm

Trans Am have been one of the more restlessly inventive bands to come out of the American post rock scene, and they were there pretty much at the start of it. The Bethesda, Maryland trio blends Krautrock textures, heavy metal crunch, hardcore punk energy, and synth driven electronics into something that never quite sits still. A key turning point came in 1993 when they plugged in a Casio keyboard and, as drummer Sebastian Thomson put it, realized a keyboard could be a punk instrument too. From that moment, their sound shifted toward largely instrumental territory, with vocoder vocals added by Nathan Means as an occasional color. Over the years Trans Am have built a catalog full of sharp left turns. Futureworld and Red Line pushed the electronics further, Liberation took direct aim at the George W. Bush era, and TA was a full on tongue in cheek parody of the electroclash craze, complete with boy band promo shots. They have shared stages with Tortoise, Pan Sonic, and Tool, and in 2017 they returned with California Hotel on their longtime label Thrill Jockey.