It’s agreeable; it’s sung both achingly and beautifully; and it’s all over too soon.
Some days I have unquenchable thirst for left-of-field indie; for folk approaching the avant-garde; for post-rock that challenges one’s patience and critical wherewithal. But other days I just need a warm blanket in the shape of Conor Oberst or Phoebe Bridgers.
This is one of those days.
And luckily enough for me, this is also the day I’m tasked to take in the newest from singer-songwriter Ally Kerr: “Back Again.” With its soothing fingerstyle picking, sparse piano accents, and unwavering melodicism, said tune is the perfect companion to a detox morning: replete with feeling but devoid of emotional heavy lifting.
“Back Again” is also the Scottish tunesmith’s comeback single after the instrumental collection ‘Soundtracks’ (2020). That record wove a rich tapestry and was an engaging listen, but though the songs in it were mood-driven in a sprawling, showy, silver-screen way, it was kind of anchored on overstated tropes and grand gestures.
A track purportedly about “overcoming obstacles and charting a new course,” “Back Again” is not a finger-wagging, look-at-me-and-my-suffering display. It’s agreeable; it’s sung both achingly and beautifully; and it’s all over too soon.
“After writing a cinematic instrumental album four years ago, I was struggling to write again as a singer-songwriter with a vocal melody driving the whole song, until I hit upon this,” Kerr shared, adding, “It was quite a cathartic moment, and the music and lyrics came together quite naturally.”
A new record, ‘True Nature,’ is tentatively slated for a Q2 2025 release. And if advance single “Back Again” is a portent of things to come – in other words, if this is representative of the entire collection, by any measure – then sign me up. I’ll make myself a drink; grab a book of verse I haven’t leafed through in a while; and let its aura rearrange the molecules in the air.
It’s got that vibe: pretty but not in a way that collars you into submission. It’s the kind of pretty you can choose to drown yourself in, but it’s also the kind of pretty you can decide to ignore, because merely being in its presence puts you in a tranquil state, regardless of your acquiescence.
Whether or not Simon and Garfunkel (or the most agreeable Neil, or the most agreeable Bob) is your cup of tea, what Kerr offers in melody and lyricism – “Stared down my doubt and found the light within / To stand up tall again / Breaking fear, chart a course so clear / Breaking fear, to the everlasting cheer” – is good for your soul.
“Back Again” was co-written with A New International’s Biff Smith – also Kerr’s creative consultant – and is the first of only a few focus singles planned to be released from ‘True Nature.’
Listen to it today. You can do other things while doing so but trust me: it’s a sticker.