As I was scrolling through my Spotify a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that a country artist I had heard of in the past released a new album. I decided to listen to it, just to see what it might be like. Going in with low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a very enjoyable and emotional album to listen to.
On Friday, October 3, Ole 60 released an album called “Smokestack Town” with 11 new songs. Like Ole 60’s other music, it focuses on a genre of sad country which is reflected in the album cover with a messy vibe. The album explores heartbreak, change and grief through music with folk, rock, and country origins. It does a wonderful job of storytelling throughout the 11 songs and brings you through many emotions due to the lyrics that are used.
The album begins with the title track, “Smokestack Town.” The song has an upbeat vibe, with drums that have a steady pace and lively background music. It is the perfect way to begin the album with an introduction to what this album revolves around, living in a small American town. It portrays comfort in knowing the people around you but feeling boredom in the mundane parts of a smaller town.
The next song on the album is a perfect description of how it feels to start over after a relationship ends, called “Starting New.” Ole 60 does a great job of explaining how leaving a relationship feels like leaving what you once knew, but gives hope for the future as the chorus mentions, “Here’s to starting new.”
“Who We Are” is a lot slower than the previous songs, portraying the sadness of figuring out what a relationship between you and another person is. It shows how hard it can be to feel like you feel a way towards a person that another person does not feel. While the way the instruments flow in the background of this song is not my favorite as it doesn’t feel as catchy as other songs on the album, it is still a very well written song.
The next song on this album is my personal favorite, “Let You Down.” This song is devastatingly beautiful. The most memorable verse of the chorus is, “One of these days, I’ll make you mine again.” The pain in his voice as he sings these lyrics can be felt through the music and in his tone of voice, his desperation is clear. The background guitar combined with the keyboards make for a song that makes you feel the pain of the song in a good way.
Yet another heartbreak of a song comes with “Nancy Avenue.” This song portrays sadness that is hard to beat by other artists. The repetition and sadness that the words and voices portray are incredible to listen to.
“Watching Me Bleed” switches up the album a bit. I like that this song becomes more upbeat than past songs, with more of a rock genre. There is a twang in the background that goes great with the way that the drums and symbols are played. It’s overall a very interesting song to listen to, especially in comparison to some of the sadder songs on the album.
Moving into “Back Around,” we get even more yearning by Ole 60. One lyric, “I’d still kill a man to take your hand,” really stuck out to me because it shows the extent to which the singer wants to be with another person. This song is a beautiful representation of what it is like to yearn to be with someone.
Ole 60 has a cover of “Yellow” by Coldplay as it nears the end of the album. This is a beautiful cover to an already beautiful song. This is a sad song already due to the yearning in Coldplay’s voice and lyrics, so the sad country vibe that Ole 60 adds to it is a perfect touch and impressively well done.
“Watching Scary Movies with the Volume Down” is the perfect way to end the album, with a feeling of eeriness and confusion mixed with the depressing vibe of it. He goes into a state of screaming with guitar and drums loud behind it. This gives a sense of going crazy and feeling a lot of emotions.
Overall, this album was 5 out of 5 stars for me. The way that you can feel the music through a combination of lyrics, tone of voice, and background instruments is a wonderful experience to listen to. I would strongly suggest taking a listen to this album if you enjoy the genre of country, specifically sad country with hints of folk and rock. Take the opportunity to be like me and take a chance with a random album on your Spotify.
