Red Hunter’s music has always existed off the beaten path. He got his start in Austin playing an apocalyptic brand of lo-fi folk tunes under the name Peter and the Wolf. Soon, he assembled a ragtag crew of musicians, which he called the “Junk Orchestra,” to flesh out his minimalist arrangements with strings, horns, and improvised percussion like cinderblocks. But Hunter eventually struck out on his own again, calling no place home and playing shows in graveyards, abandoned buses, and just about every other unconventional makeshift venue you can imagine.

With his latest album, “Traffique’s Endless Weekend Mixtape,” Hunter has gone from nomad to, well, a drag-dressing aficionado of ‘70s-inspired dance pop.

As Hunter’s self-proclaimed female alter ego, Traffique is an almost complete break from Peter and the Wolf. Aside from the occasional chime of a ukulele, you’ll find almost no trace of acoustic instrumentation on “Endless Weekend.” In its place, there are Casio-programmed drumbeats, psychedelic synth work, and airy, multi-layered vocal arrangements.

In fact, the entrancing vocal work may be the highlight of the album. Throughout each track, Hunter and female guest vocalist Dana Falconberry (also an Austin folk veteran) weave in and out of swirling melodies, harmonies, and vocal filler, creating a gorgeous, dreamlike choir.

The scope of the album is also much broader than that of any Peter and the Wolf release. From the hazy, feel-good vibes of “Nora” to the African liberation anthem of “Homage Arthur (Almost Free),” “Endless Weekend” spans an impressive number of genres. If you buy a physical copy of the album from Hunter’s MySpace, you’ll even get a bonus Marvin Gaye cover.

The only thing you might miss when you compare Traffique to Peter and the Wolf is the lack of lyrical depth. While Peter and the Wolf is a collection of poetic narratives that chronicle travel and loves lost, Traffique is just a collage of colorful wordplay and, often, nonsensical imagery.

Still, Traffique is a great display of Hunter’s music talents and his ability to seamlessly hop genres—and genders.

TRAFFIQUE – GET WEIRD (official video) from MWKMWK on Vimeo.

 

s=”50″ class=”textarea”>