Red Line by Trans Am

red’ line’ n. A line that should not be crossed. What separates us from the excessive, unsafe, unclean and financially nonviable: an outside threat.

Trans Am's fifth album, RED LINE, with twenty-one tracks spans over seventy-three minutes and features lush vocals, massive horns, tight electronic jams, guest musicians, acoustic guitar, soaring keyboards, in-your-face mixing, and occasional sitar for the most widely varied and complete Trans Am album to date. It is a mammoth recording that documents the band’s mastery of both rock and electronic compositions and captures the true essence of Trans Am. Perhaps this came to pass as a result of the completion of Trans Am's labor of love: National Recording Studio. Nestled in Washington, DC's downtown, NRS was the testing place that allowed Trans Am to chase their wildest dreams and darkest nightmares - the tracks that finally became RED LINE.


RED LINE differs extensively from previous Trans Am albums. It is the first of the band’s releases to utilize "clean" vocals. Effected vocals exist on some tracks and the infamous vocoder has not disappeared, but for the first time Trans Am venture into the realm of "normal singing." The venture is successful. Tracks such as Play in the Summer, Slow Response and I’m Coming Down show a side of the band that few knew existed. Thomson, Manley and Means decided that the time was right and RED LINE should feature talents that up until now have been kept under wraps.

Trans Am refuse to rely on their legacy as innovators, opting instead to continue to break down established modes of songwriting, even if they established those modes themselves. Trans Am is Phil Manley, Nathan Means, and Sebastian Thomson.