Fingerpicked acoustic guitars have always reminded me of midwestern summers and little else. As they swirl against the weatherworn melodies on Jeremiah Nelson’s newest EP, Whittier, they breezily take me to counties and country fields I’ve never even seen. Yet there’s a familiarity in the surroundings; they’re worn in the best way, effortless except for the fact that you can grasp all of the hard work that went into crafting them. Over these six simple songs, Nelson paints portraits of the middle-western states like only those who are from the middle-western states can.
The instrumentals are pleasant; the other tunes are tinged in sorrow. Whittier makes me both thankful and critical, and immensely reflective, of the place we call home. And it’s streaming below for your listening pleasure.