There are already a million reasons to worry 
in a time that keeps deleting beauty left and right
…and you just added more tonight for no good reason

“Klass writes melodic confections that seep into your psyche and stay…and does so with wit and intelligence” (PopMatters). 

On fifth album You Could’ve Just Said That, New York indie pop doyen Scott Klass, aka The Davenports, finds broad resonance through the thoughtful exploration of situations esoteric yet common to all. Coming from NYC bred / LA based indie label Mother West in January, the self-produced You Could’ve Just Said That is true to its title in both sentiment and execution, making it the most heartfelt expression of a 25-year journey already characterized by frank, poignant insight.

“I guess, ultimately, it’s about how normal it is to be evasive,” says singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Klass, the sole constant at the heart of the rotating Davenports collective. Participants have included Danny Weinkauf, Dan Miller (They Might Be Giants), Claudia Chopek (Father John Misty, Bright Eyes), Eleanor Norton (Beyoncé, Adele, Natalie Merchant), Tommy Borscheid (Honeydogs, Rhett Miller), Erik Philbrook, Rob Draghi, and Cheri Leone.

Formed in 2000, The Davenports is well-known for “Five Steps,” the theme song for A&E’s long-running, Emmy-nominated series Intervention. Earning consistent critical acclaim for catchy yet nuanced songcraft and smart, narrative lyricism, Klass’ music has drawn comparisons to Weezer, Ben Folds, and Fountains of Wayne (Klass also plays alongside FoW frontman Chris Collingwood in Look Park). AllMusic praised The Davenports as “[offering] some of the most lyrically and musically rich modern guitar-pop.”

You Could’ve Just Said That is the first Davenports album self-recorded at home with Klass handling nearly every part. The result is charmingly unfiltered, moment-in-time expressions without third-party interpretations or expectations. Learning recording software as he went, Klass captured musical and lyrical notions right as they coalesced in his mind, free of the scheduled time constraints of commercial studios.

“I really had tremendous freedom to just do whatever I wanted,” Klass says. 

While the songs aren’t always directly autobiographical, You Could’ve Just Said That is the most intimate Davenports album to date, a record that embroiders a time-honored pop template tracing back to The Beatles, Jackson Browne, and Crowded House, heavy on melody and harmony, with layers of perception and reflection that peel back over several listens. Beneath the surface-level immediacy of ostensibly simple songwriting is a cultured emotional and musical intricacy that lends You Could’ve Just Said That rare depth and longevity. Add in its uniquely homespun production, and you’re left with a delightful anomaly in an era of multi-writer, multi-producer, pristine pop.