Justin Collins sneered, leaning back, cigarette smoke climbing, swirling, up past the New Nashville skyline. “I’d weed-wack circles around that dude!”

The target of Collins’ scorn was a bro country singer performing across the street from Collins’ neighborhood bar. The bro didn’t know that he was in the crosshairs of East Nashville’s most notorious homegrown rock ‘n’ roll bad boy. Had he known, had he had any brains at all, he would have been scared — or at least leaned into the mic and stepped up his game. Because in a vapid, image-centric music industry, Collins — somehow equal parts Iggy Pop and Roy Orbison — is the real deal. And anyone associated with East Nashville music who matters knows it.

From Wilco’s Pat Sansone, who approached Collins to produce the Cosmics’ 2018 album Perf: Live at Ardent Studios, to noir-pop badass Nicole Atkins, who invited Collins to perform on a recent livestream (for which Collins received praise from Elvis Costello), to the Deer Tick/Los Lobos supergroup Diamond Rugs (Collins sang his song “Totally Lonely” with the group, co-produced both of its critically acclaimed albums, and performed with Diamond Rugs on “Late Night With David Letterman”), to just looking around the room at any Cosmics show, it’s obvious that Justin and The Cosmics are the band everyone wants to see, and the band no musician wants to have to follow. That’s because, as a live band, Justin and The Cosmics are peerless. Across the pond, the Aussies are still talking about The Cosmics’ 2018 Australian tour supporting Deer Tick. In Nashville, The Cosmics’ headlining show the closing night of famed dive bar Fran’s East Side — where The Cosmics’ audience literally drank the bar dry — is stuff of legend. And then there was the Halloween that Collins (and brother/Cosmics guitarist Scott) was reunited with the Diamond Rugs’ rhythm section, to perform as the Michael Jackson tribute band, Shamones. Oh brother…

As a songwriter, and as a recording artist, it should say it all that a member of Wilco asked Collins if he could produce his record. But always one to do things his own way, it’s not surprising that Collins’ latest self-produced album, Cool Dead, is his masterpiece. The 12-song record for these times slashes its way out of your speakers like The Cosmics live show, yet soars like an eagle with talons gripping your sad little heart. From the first track, instant punk classic “Asshole Eyes,” to the album’s epic condemnation of pop culture worship, “Am I Supposed To Care So Much” (with stylistic nods to both Lou Reed and David Bowie’s “Heroes”), to a lonesome and forgotten tune written by Collins’ friend (and Margo Price co-writer) Caitlin Rose, Justin and The Cosmics have finally delivered the album everyone around these parts knew was one day coming. It’s as punk as a freight train, as country as a weed-wacker, and if you’re smart enough to know it, downright terrifying in its beauty.