A brand-new album release from Jefferson Hyll has a way of giving a special breed of honesty in descriptive lyrics and at times, storytelling but a lot of it is from this very personal perspective which gives the record a lot of authenticity and gets you wrapped up in what's going on because a lot of these songs are about life and they can serve as different chapters for Jefferson's but they also come through incredibly relatable to your own a lot of the time.
The spirits album blends pop rock, Progressive, and even elements of orchestrated instrumentation that brings in a more cinematic and vast undertone some of the time but is super well-rounded and has this shine to it that attracts you.
Some of these songs are very catchy and there are more than a few that stand tall as singles in my opinion however, listening to the album in full is 100% the way to go with this one.
You can listen to a few tracks to pull you in like the opening track called "Radial Days" for my personal favorite "God Plays Rock and Roll" which feels like a 90s pop rock radio hit in my opinion and really touches on that indie rock aesthetic with the guitar riffs and even the tone of it all.
Having said that, again, the whole record in full has a lot more to offer and there are more than a few surprises around the corners plus this electric energy that lets everything have such a beautiful and forward-moving flow which is cool because there is something sort of graceful about this record in the way it's performed.
Believe me, there is edginess to it and loads of pop overtones but there's also a sort of smoothness in the way everything is put together and performed so you get this very lush and robust, full-bodied rock out of it.
The songs have layers and the album itself does as well so peeling those back is a lot of fun, and even with how catchy and driving the music can be, it's the lyrics that grab you because again, you understand where he's coming from a lot of the time and even when you don't come he's so descriptive that you get it.
Their songs like the title track "Spirits" where you can certainly hear that classic rock influence and when I say classic rock I mean artists like Tom Petty for example and a slew of other influences that shine through during the playthrough of the full record.
There are a few touching moments and that wondrous honesty that lets the record take shape and make sense.
The balance of this record dynamically and musically is incredible. A lot of people don't like to talk about the mix of a song or an album but in this case, I have to because a lot is going on with these songs, and at times like I said before, different elements of instrumentation pop in and out so being able to mix all that stuff and have everything sound flush and balanced is not an easy job.
This is also what helps the aesthetic of the record come through the way it was meant to.
Now, the most insane and impressive part of this whole thing is that not only was everything written and produced by Jefferson but almost all of it was actually performed by him as well so this is something that blows me away to an extent because I can't imagine being able to bring full songs like this or a full album for that matter, into fruition.
This is a release that certainly speaks volumes for Jefferson and if you are someone who loves pop rock, indie rock, classic rock, or progressive, this is all in your wheelhouse.