Simi Valley, California-born, and Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter Freddy Trujillo is self-releasing his fourth solo album, I Never Threw A Shadow At it, May 24th. A very personal record based around Chicano experiences, it is the follow-up to 2022’s Sketch of a Man. Trujillo, who is also the bass player for The Delines and Richmond Fontaine, delivers an honest storyteller’s look at his life growing up in Southern California as a Chicano.

The record is so personal that the album’s title track, “I Never Threw A Shadow At It,” details a situation where Trujillo called the Los Angeles Police Department when someone attempted to steal his car, only to be treated like the criminal because of the color of his skin when the police showed up.

“I usually write songs about my life or memories,” he says of the song. “[This song] is about a personal incident I had with the LAPD in 1992. All songs, except ‘Corpus Christi’ and ‘Remember’ are personal songs or about someone that is close to me.”

Fueled by the 70s Nuyorican-soul vibe of the title track, a highlight of the album for Trujillo, and one of his proudest moments, I Never Threw A Shadow At It blends folk, Chicano-rock, and a lot of heart throughout its ten tracks. Featuring every member of The Delines on the record, and engineered and co-produced by The Delines’ Cory Gray at his Old Unconscious Studios, the album will appeal to fans of Trujillo’s other band, while sounding nothing like The Delines.

“This record has all The Delines on it in some way or the other. But the record is super different [than The Delines],” admits Trujillo. “I am exploring different beats and tempos. If I didn't say anything, a person wouldn't have guessed that it is the same group of people."

The album opens up with the bouncy, pop-driven rocker “Corpus Christi,” originally a song Willy Vlautin wrote for The Delines, but the band decided not to use. Taken by the song, Trujillo asked to use it for his album, giving the song a new spin, and its tale of addiction, abuse, and spiraling out of control sets the tone for the album.

“This album has been a great learning experience for me,” beams Trujillo. “I learned to collaborate with other writers. Willy Vlautin helped me close out ‘I Never Threw A Shadow At It.” I was about 3/4 finished when I just needed a way to close it up and he nailed it.”

Like many albums from artists with a lot of time on their hands during the pandemic, I Never Threw A Shadow Out It grew from needing something to do while you couldn’t tour or play out.

“This album was motivated by needing something to do during the pandemic. I finally had a group of guys that show up as my band and then covid hits. I felt I had to do something to keep us engaged since we couldn't play,” he recalls of the origins of the songs. “The Black Lives Matter movement got me thinking about my own struggles with the police throughout my life. Especially when I was younger. ‘Many Years of Minding,’ which closes out the album, is sort of a bookmark or review of what my experience has been in the United States. I am staying on theme with a lot of my past records, which is life as a Chicano. ‘I Didn't Cross the Border, The Border Crossed Me’ is exactly that, a look at the fact that Mexican culture was in the Southwest before it was considered America.”

Trujillo’s first three records - 2002’s debut Hawks & Highways, 2014’s Amexica, and 2022’s Sketch of a Man  - were recorded and produced by close friend and frequent collaborator Luther Russell on analog tape machines. However, due to social distancing, I Never Threw A Shadow At it is Trujillo’s first record not done with Russell and first recorded digitally.

“There was no particular reason [I didn’t work with Russell], besides that having to social distance in the pandemic the digital recording was easier to do that with. I recorded an acoustic guitar, bass line, and vocal first and handed that off to the other musicians. When they worked out their parts, we had them come in and record. And the record was born.”

When asked how the record fits in the musical landscape of today, Trujillo shrugs that he’s not sure if it does, noting he’s never really fit in prior. But, he’s still proud of the record and knows it fits in somewhere, and that those that connect with it will really connect with it.

“I am not sure. I haven't fit in very well up to this point. Although, I have been waiting for a time like this. I feel there are many Latino artists doing experimental things. Artists like Adrian Quesada, Gaby Moreno, Chicano Batman, Sacred Souls, and Angelica Garcia are moving things into new territory. I hope I can get noticed by the people that are putting these artists on the map. Latin music has always been so safe. Whether it be Mexican polkas or Latin dance grooves like Reggaeton, it’s been safe. I wanted to make a record that didn’t feel safe, but really spoke the truth, from my experiences.”

Songs like “I Didn’t Cross The Border, The Border Crossed Me, “Mexican Hearts,” “World There Haunting Me,” and “Many Years of Minding” are eye-opening, cut-to-the-bone tales of life as a Chicano growing up in the United States. Growing up feeling like he never fit in may have worked to Trujillo’s advantage in the long run, something he feels may give his music an edge.

“I don't think I fit in anywhere,” he says with honesty. “I think it is a weird place to be. It is a good place when you finally get noticed, but it can feel a little lonely when you don't have that scene. I realize I need to get out of Portland more often because I don't feel like I fit anywhere locally.”

Though the record came out like he heard it in his head when he was writing it, there are parts of the record that surprised him, and still surprise him, when he listens to it.

“I think some of the guitar work that Ag Donnaloa and Kenny Coleman did was way different that I expected,” he exclaims. “Especially ‘Mexican Hearts.’ They came up with a guitar line that almost seemed out of the ordinary. It really grew on me. That is what is cool about collaboration. The tune ‘Windows’ was the last to arrive on the list. I had Patricia Rojas come in to record violin on it and she added vocals. That song is a clue to the new direction of my work. I have started singing duets with her and we just brought in a Chicana stand-up bass player.”

Now that the record is done and ready for release, Trujillo plans to tour and support the record any way he can, whether that means playing it out solo acoustic, with a stripped-down band, or his full band.

“As a solo artist, I will have to perform this record in a variety of ways. I play the songs with the band just like the record, but I will have to perform these solo as well. But, however I perform it live, I want to use it to spread more awareness outside of Portland. I hope to make my birth state of California, Washington, and other parts of Oregon just as much my scene as Portland. I really want to get out there more as a solo artist than I have in the past, and try to get this record to reach people.”