Part of the process of Nixon Boyd’s new releases is that they are actually re-recordings of music that was lost following a theft of his computer.
Maybe that’s why these new songs come across as damn articulate and carefully constructed. This is especially true for his recently released single, “Trouble of Your Own”. Each second of this track feels like it’s found its exact right place, like if a cairn could be vibey and made-for-a-road-trip and also, uh, you know, a song.
Great for fans of Elliot Smith, Christian Lee Hutson, Sufjan Stevens, or the Decemberists. Honestly, it’s for anyone in the mood to listen to something alt-folky or perfect for going 60 down the highway in late spring or early autumn.
The song’s lyrical content—despite its heavy subject—manages a hook that is catchy as hell, and well supported by the not-quite-fuzzed out lead guitar, a part that easily could have been turned into an overharmonized “we have the Allman Brothers at home” sort of thing. But it’s kept clean and singular, much to the song’s benefit.
Typically, when one writes single reviews like this, it entails listening to the same song over and over again for deeper analysis—a downside, if there can be one for writing about music. But Nixon Boyd’s new single has enough sonic and dynamic variety that it’s easy not to mind listening to it over and over. In fact, you should do just that. Take a listen to “Trouble of Your Own” below.
Written by Willow Stonebeck
