Ross Alan’s ‘Audible Serotonin’ Is Country Disco At Full Volume

Ross Alan has never been interested in doing things halfway. Audible Serotonin makes that pretty clear within the first few songs. The glitter is everywhere, the grooves are loud, the emotions are worn openly, and somewhere underneath all of it is a country record that decided it wanted to go dancing.

After months of singles that slowly introduced this side of Ross Alan, the full album finally lands. "Cry Again," "Loveland," and "Backseat Joyride" each gave us a different glimpse of what was coming, but hearing them alongside the rest of the record makes the bigger idea much clearer. This is a full world, not just a collection of singles. And it is a ridiculously fun one to spend time in.

Audible Serotonin takes the sentimental side of country and drops it under a mirrorball. There is heart in these songs, but there is also plenty of sweat. The album knows how to be sincere without becoming overly serious, and that balance gives Ross Alan plenty of room to play. The timing of the album feels right, too. Coming directly after "Backseat Joyride" and its music video, the record carries that same sense of freedom and mischief into something much larger. Ross Alan is clearly having fun with this sound, and that enjoyment comes through without needing to be explained.

There are plenty of moments where the disco side takes control, but the country influence never disappears. Instead, the two styles seem to keep pulling each other into stranger and more interesting places. The result is warm, theatrical, romantic, cheeky and occasionally a little wild.

Track 3!! - "Lasso" is our standout!!

There is something about the groove that completely won us over. It is disco-ready without feeling overly polished, and the tempo has that immediate physical quality that makes you want to get up before you have even decided whether you are in the mood to dance. We could hear this one playing in a bar, at a party, or just blasting through the living room while nobody is watching. It is carefree in exactly the right way. That sense of release runs through the album.

Tracks such as "Neon Horizon," "Audible Serotonin," "Heart of Yours," "Sweet Gratitude," "Checkmate," "Showdown," and "Diamond Cage" continue to build out the beautifully crafted universe Ross Alan has been dreaming up. "Loveland," featuring Lisa Gumm, is another welcome part of the picture. After hearing the song as a single, its place on the album feels natural. The same can be said for "Cry Again," which closes the tracklist and brings us back to one of the songs that first introduced this particular era of Ross Alan.

What is most impressive is how comfortable Ross Alan sounds inside this world. There is no sense of someone cautiously testing out a genre combination and waiting to see whether it works. Country disco is simply the language of Audible Serotonin. The twang, the rhythm, the big melodies, the queer perspective and the unabashed love of a good time all belong together. Ross Alan has spent years working toward this record, and you can feel that patience in the confidence of the finished product. The album does not need to constantly announce how different it is. It just gets on with being itself.

That is probably why Audible Serotonin works best when you stop trying to categorize it.

Put it on loud. Dance badly. Dance well. Sing along. Drink something cold. Call somebody you love. Go somewhere you should probably not be. Stay home and turn the living room into a nightclub.

Whatever you do, let yourself enjoy it. Ross Alan has made an album that understands one very simple thing: sometimes music is at its best when it makes you feel good. And Audible Serotonin feels very, very good.