Approaching alt-country with unexpected twists of psychedelia and paisley underground-styled melancholia, Detroit band the Volebeats have been walking a separate path than the majority of Motor City bands since their 1988 formation. The songwriting team of guitarist/vocalists Jeff Oakes and Matthew Smith (bandleader and principal songwriter of Outrageous Cherry) took the group through regular lineup changes, keeping highly active throughout the '90s and 2000s. Though the Volebeats slowed down somewhat after the first 20 years of their run, they continued creating new music all the same, issuing their ninth album, Lonesome Galaxy, in 2022, following a 12-year gulf after their previous effort.