Contenders, the band's seventh album, finds Crum basking in a keen sense of roots-y psychedelic Americana that recalls the fertile grounds of Upstate New York. Yet the music itself is a warm, sunny soundtrack that brings to mind road trips across the dusty Midwest and miles of nothing in between. Fans of Built To Spill, My Morning Jacket, and Deserters Songs-era Mercury Rev will love Contenders.