Back in March we wrote about ‘I Wonder If I’ll Forget This‘, the debut single from Nashville-based songwriter Jess Kerber on Felte Records. “A wonderfully understated track that aches with real emotion,” as we put it. “Kerber’s vocals are flanked by acoustic guitar and the barely-there texture of organ drone, an arrangement that allows the songwriting to shine through.” The result was “impressively mature” as we continued, pairing a sense of believable vulnerability with steadfast tenacity that runs unerring in spite of everything.
Now Jess Kerber has returned with ‘Next To You’, a track which further develops her burgeoning style. Classic fingerpicked guitar is matched with subtle electronics, breathing a contemporary air into the traditional Americana sensibilities. The track builds with an assured patience as drums eventually kick in. Kerber’s delivery matches this rising energy, beginning as a reflective croon and slowly ramping up in emotional intensity, as though ascending through the slightly ethereal haze of the opening towards a newfound clarity. “‘Next To You’ is about the ways your dreams tell you what you don’t yet know about yourself,” as Kerber explains. “I wrote this song in my childhood bedroom, where hazy memories seem to always come back up to the surface.”
I’ve dreamt the strangest things
Every night or so
For the last 3 weeksI hope they’re not signaling
Some kind of future
Where I’m flying off the highest swing
‘Next To You’ is out now via Felte Records and available on streaming services.