Texas-raised Jeremy Parsons crafts nostalgic alt-country that glimmers with hints of the 70s and 80s mixed with a bit of modern flair. Parsons’ voice sits between the likes of Eric Church and Jason Aldean, but the songwriter is definitely more reflective of independent or Americana acts.

The packaging doesn’t do this album justice—the cover feels a bit lazy and screams “Bandcamp local artist”—but the songs themselves are in fact pretty compelling and down-to-earth yet able to stand against those of larger acts.

“Tragedy” is a personal favorite. It’s a moody track seeped in reverb, and it exemplifies the album’s lyrical tension between looking back and moving forward.

The album doesn’t hide this theme, either. It’s hard to see titles like “Things to Come,”, “Good Ole Days,” and “Looking Back” without recognizing the temporal center of this record. Other tracks speak more specifically to personal identity and its ephemeral nature. These might not be necessarily groundbreaking themes, but in a genre oversaturated with love songs, an introspective angle on things is certainly welcome. Parsons is a balladeer whose affection is the human condition.

Sonically, the album slants to the softer side of things. These are sentimental, lyric-driven songs that leave plenty of space for Parsons’ vocals to take center stage. That’s not to say instrumentation is lacking by any stretch—these are most certainly full-band songs—but you also won’t ever find the vocals buried in the mix here.

Ultimately, Parsons brings a commercial flair to the independent country scene with a sound that is both classically-familiar and refreshingly-modern. Country itself is already niche in some respects, even with its national appeal, and it doesn’t seem to support the same diverse network of subgenres and artists pushing the genre forward that other scenes might boast. Thankfully, Parsons reassures us indie country is alive and well, even if it’s hard to find.

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