One of the watershed moments for me as a music reviewer (and fan) came in 2013 when Andrew Belle released his Black Bear album. At the time, I think I was vaguely aware of him and viewed him as a sort of hipster heartthrob songwriter.

Oh, how wrong I was. That album was an intersection of great songwriting, and pensive nighttime music bathed in a thoughtful sheen. It is a feeling that I’ve chased ever since.

Thomas Bowles is one of those artists that fulfills that need of mine to hear this sound. We also share a background as people of faith. Reading the lyrics to this song is soul stirring in a way that’s slightly disconcerting. And, ever so much so considering that this past Sunday was Easter, and brings with it an Earth-shaking message.

The chorus reads:

“Can Mercy and Love ever pour out of 

these scars that I’ve caused

The healing only seems to get far

I’m still trying to find the right placebos 

To make me feel better”

So, why is this is disquieting to me? Probably, because I identify with a lot of what is yearned for here as truth. Yet, for Bowles, he seems to be yearning for something he cannot quite reach. For a belief that I’ve found so much comfort in, the idea that someone feels they absolutely cannot reach a place of belief in spite of wanting to (for something that, as I’ve known, is freely given) makes me uncomfortable. Yet, I welcome the conversation.

Man, I went into this wanting to just introduce you to Thomas Bowles, a Cincinnati songwiter, and this turned into somewhat of a journal entry instead. I will let you know, however, that “Feel Better” is the lead single off the EP titled Don’t Wake Me which releases May 21st.

Dive into the disconcerting yet comforting swells of this track, below.

Follow Thomas Bowles on Instagram.