On his sixth album under the CYHSY banner – now essentially a solo vehicle for Alec Ounsworth’s output – the Philadelphian lays his heart on the line like never before. The subjects of divorce, depression and deducing his place in the world are picked over with an often ruthless but ruminative manner that attests to the album’s title.
There are even a couple of overtly political tracks to cogitate over: Thousand Oaks was influenced by a mass shooting in a Californian town in 2018, reflecting on how apathetic the world has become to these “American massacres”, while Hesitating Nation documents how recent political movements have preyed on people’s fears.
The personal thread, meanwhile, is tweaked on songs such as the string quartet-enhanced Innocent Weight; Mirror Song is an exercise in self-examination over his life choices; and the heartache-infused title track sees him lament “I never want to take another chance on anyone”.
It may sound like a glum affair, but throughout it all Ounsworth’s tremulous, one-of-a-kind warble leads the charge on the taut, bouncy indie rock CYHSY are known for, best heard on their eponymous 2005 debut album.
Still, it’s the likes of the gently strummed acoustic track Where They Perform Miracles that hits the hardest: a truthful and simplistic song in the midst of an emotionally turbulent and transitional album.
