It hasn’t been long since I covered the Slow Country EP here at Jason’s Jukebox. I made the point that Sunstack Jones were doing something quietly smart: not trying to top Luminous Hands, just pulling back and working with their strengths. Well, here comes a standalone single, and it turns out that headspace wasn’t just an EP thing.
Make Your Own Way Out isn’t trying to grab you by the collar. It eases in with chiming guitars, soft percussion and vocals floating just above the mix. Classic Sunstack Jones. That blend of hazy Americana and Britpop shimmer that’s been their calling card is all present and correct, and the arrangement does what the best Sunstack Jones arrangements do – resonates with the listener on a deeper level.
Lyrically, the title tells you what you need to know. Self-reliance. Quiet perseverance. Finding your own path without a map. It never overstates any of that. There’s no fist in the air here. It’s calm. Almost meditative. The message lands softly, which makes it land deeper.
What I keep coming back to with this band is how seamless everything is. This is a band continuing to quietly refine a sound that already suits them perfectly.
It’s a single. A non-album single at that. But don’t let that fool you into treating it as a footnote. It lingers like an album centerpiece. A killer tune as always.
For Fans Of: Ride, Mojave 3, Beachwood Sparks, The Verve, Ocean Colour Scene