Picture this: it’s late afternoon, golden hour. You’re on a long drive toward somewhere important—you're not sure what's going to happen exactly, but there’s this quiet buzz of hope in the air. The air’s crisp, but still warm enough to roll the window down. The trees are showing off—deep reds, burnt golds, all the best parts of fall. That’s exactly how this song feels.
It’s country in the best, oldest sense: a man, a road, and a promise he’s chasing. The verses flow like mile markers, and by the time the chorus hits, you can practically see the bend in the highway and feel that mix of ache and prayer sitting right in your chest.
“Bozeman” technically dropped back in May, but it feels like fall to me, which is why we're starting the season with it. It’s a slow song that doesn’t drag, 5:53 long and not a second feels wasted. I can’t stand when I'm listening to a song, and the instruments overpower the vocals (it feels like they’re fighting each other), but thankfully, that’s not the case here. At all. The guitar’s clean, the mix is balanced, the lyrics land exactly how they’re supposed to, and the whole thing just feels kind of peaceful. I think it's so cool when artists are able to write so good, that they're able to transport you to a different place in their song, whenever you want to feel like you're on the way to Bozeman- just listen to this song.
Over the last few months, it’s become one of those songs I’ll play… and then play again. And again.
Favorite line:
“I ain’t got nothing but the moonlight, and my heart wrapped up in yours.”
Westward ★★★★☆
Dylan Gossett • 2024 • folk-country
singer-songwriterstorytellingacoustic
Such an easy album to listen to. Lord Will You Carry Me, is like the perfect song to set the tone for the rest of the album. Great guitar and Harmonica, I actually really enjoyed the albums production as a whole, I like that the instruments don't overpower Dylan's vocals. I think my favorite track is Like I do. It gives me this childhood nostalgic feeling of summer.
Ain’t in It for My Health ★★★☆☆
Zach Top • neo-trad country
two-stepbarroomtwang
I like Ain’t in It for My Health a lot. Zach’s voice is so good he could sing anything. That said, compared to “There’s the Sun” or “Bad Luck” from the last album, some tracks just don’t hit as hard—like a little of the heart’s missing. Still solid; “South of Sanity” is my favorite, and it definitely has the feels.
The Tortured Poets Department ★★★★☆
Taylor Swift • 2024 • pop
lyric diarysynth-poplate-night
I wanted to revisit this album since TLOASG is coming out v soon. I really think this is one of her most lyrically strong albums. There are so many deep cuts and incredibly clever one-liners. It's almost a no skip album for me — favs: The Albatross, Peter, and TTPD.