Atomic Junction

Atomic Junction draws its gritty blend of Midwest-inspired rock ’n’ roll, country and blues music from influences such as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Steve Earle, The Band, Tony Joe White and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, among others. “There is something pretty retro about the way they’re getting to the hook,” critic Chadwick Easton wrote of the band in Melody Maker Magazine.  “The approach is as classic as it gets … exclusive and original in every department.”

Based in St. Louis, Atomic Junction’s music reflects the diverse inspirations of its members: Mark Murdaugh on lead guitar and harmonica, Clay Mudd on bass guitar, percussionist Brian McCary and Aaron Perlut on rhythm guitar and vocals. The band’s eclectic approach is, in part, why producer Greg Griffith calls Atomic Junction, “the bastard love child of early-Replacements and Reba McEntire.”

The band’s principal songwriter, Perlut is a storyteller, crafting lyrics that are often offbeat and admittedly wordy. His straightforward rock- and country-inspired arrangements are designed to blend seamlessly with Murdaugh’s more complex rock and blues-derived leads. 

“We take our love of rock, country, and blues and pair it with a very personal, sometimes sarcastic lyrical edge,” he notes. “Some see a little punk rock in us. I have no idea but I’m grateful for just about any comparison. All I know is I try to write songs that reflect the things I see here in the Midwest.”

The band is, “Somewhere between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lou Reed’s Wildside,” as Raised By Cassettes noted. “Atomic Junction brings out these winding guitars for an almost-twang sound but it’s slow and plodding.  The closest sound I can really compare this with is that classic Southern rock sound, though it is not completely that…” Midwestern storytelling, rootsy Americana to its core, told authentically with earnest, satirical grit—that is Atomic Junction.