Widowspeak – The Jacket

Widowspeak’s sixth studio album finds them slick, soulful and effortlessly cool as ever

Album Review by Katie Cutforth | 23 Mar 2022
  • Widowspeak – The Jacket
Album title: The Jacket
Artist: Widowspeak
Label: Captured Tracks
Release date: 11 Mar

It’s hard not to like Widowspeak’s sound. Steeped in references to musical greats (Neil Young, Yo La Tengo, Cat Power), it’s nostalgic and full of heart without losing its edge. Although the Brooklyn duo have produced five critically-acclaimed records, as well as some astoundingly inventive cover songs, they exude a certain modesty and quiet confidence that feels essential. 

The band’s sixth LP The Jacket is full of gems: earworms like Slow Dance and Forget It, punchy jangle-pop like Everything Is Simple, and meandering ballads like True Blue – each delivered with the same deftness and effortless cool. The songs drift dreamily without losing their shape, anchored by precise but soulful guitar and Molly Hamilton’s velvety, sighing vocals.

Soft and airy, the soundscape expertly merges elements of 60s folk, shoegaze and Pacific northwest indie with an intense energy that is uniquely theirs. It conjures images of vast desert highways, dive bars and lonely auto shops; orange-pink sunsets and peculiar characters that float in and out of view like mirages. 

With The Jacket, Widowspeak prove once again they can find the irresistible spot between timeless and fresh. It might not be littered with huge, unforgettable moments, but the spell it casts lingers long after the music has finished. 

Listen to: Slow Dance, The Drive, Forget It

http://widowspeakforever.com