Known for his laugh-to-keep-from-crying, darkly humorous lyrics, Brian Dunne’s work reconfigures the limiting nature of the genre into something less cotton candy young love, more burn down the banks. This DIY ethos, born from a healthy New York cynicism self-conceptualized, funded, and dragged to every willing venue, found an easy home at Kill Rock Stars along the likes of The Decemberists, Jeff Hanson, and Sleater-Kinney. Having released his album “Loser On The Ropes” in early 2023, his first on KRS, Dunne is bending the sounds of American rock into masterfully composed, existentially poignant, wildly catchy renderings of being alive. He made his network TV debut on CBS Saturday Morning last year and Rolling Stone called the LP “one of the sleeper albums of the year.”  He is currently touring the deluxe edition of the record, and he is also a full time member of folk-rock supergroup, Fantastic Cat.