First Listen: Lukas Nelson, Kelsey Waldon and the Albums You Need to Hear This Week

This week we've got big new albums from Lukas Nelson and Kelsey Waldon, plus exciting debut EPs from The Jack Wharff Band and newcomer Elizabeth Nichols.

After spending the morning listening to all of this week's new releases, the Holler staff have their say:

During a moment in time when it feels difficult to romanticize America and what it means to be a person within its borders, Lukas Nelson has found a way to plant listeners outside of the newsfeed and into the country that raised him, taking us on a voyage through the highways and byways that made him into the artist he is today.

With American Romance–the album that marks his debut solo effort, following a departure from his longtime band Promise of the Real–he attempts to capture the nation as he once knew it, having grown up on the road as the son of a country legend, and the one he still encounters today as a consummate troubadour himself.

What results is a 12-track love letter to America, to the truck stop diners and parking lot pitstops, to the long-haul drives and late night flights, to the things one discovers about themselves in constant motion across this country’s vast and varied terrain.

American Romance–much like an open car window, letting in the ever-shifting scenery–flits through racing heartland rock, bright mountaintop folk, warm Latin strings and cool blues flourishes, showcasing the kitchen-sink sounds of all that has shaped the cultural fiber of the nation in question.

In the end, American Romance is a powerful example of Nelson’s simple but instinctive songcraft and self-assured lyricism, the collection putting on full display what happens when Nelson is untethered and left to follow his own path.

"I had to get tough so I could get wise / I’ve been a thousand women in my own time," Kelsey Waldon sings as she launches into ‘Every Ghost of Myself.’ It’s a damn good start to a damn good record.

Possible album highlight ‘My Kin’ is an almost difficult listen in just how honestly reflective it is of personal flaws, self-awareness and self-doubt; that’s the thing about Waldon, though, her authenticity keeps you listening, even when it hurts. Quietly genius little quips and hooks throughout her writing make it clear why she’s signed to John Prine’s label.

Although she sings on ‘Lost In My Idlin’ that returning to old demons is almost inevitable, there’s an acceptance that it's just part of the journey. Our past will catch up with us and tag along for the ride, but it’s up to us how much time and attention we give it. That might be the main takeaway from Every Ghost: “old habits die hard,” but there’s no point running from them, just make peace with them instead.

Waldon’s laying all her cards on the table on Every Ghost, brutal honesty backed by some of the twangiest instrumentation around. If nothing else, Waldon’s unapologetically authentic–always has been and I hope always will be.

Richmond’s Most Wanted is probably one of the best debut EPs to be released in a long while, and we know how steep the competition is in country music right now.

Fronted by vocalist Jack Wharff, the band delivers six tracks of bluegrass-fueled gold. With echoes of early Zach Bryan, ‘Burnin' It Down’ maintains the upbeat tempo, particularly with the encore worthy intro that will undoubtedly become iconic in their live sets.

With two new tracks–‘Otherwise’ and ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’–they sit next to each other in a poetic juxtaposition of the anguishes of love. The former explores the imposter syndrome of living up to the expectations of a loved one, followed by the latter, which slows into the heartbreak of finalizing a relationship's end.

It’s hard to say what stands out more: the crazy talented lyricism or the infectious music that complements it. Richmond’s Most Wanted isn’t a one-and-done listening experience, with each listen explores something new and beautiful in their finely crafted music.

This is an immensely promising start for The Jack Wharff Band, and it’s probably best you listen to it immediately so that you can say you were a fan way back when.

With her unflinching honesty and eye-rolling, light-hearted scepticism, Elizabeth Nichols feels like the perfect poster girl-next-door for a new generation of country music lovers.

Hilarious and hard relatable, the Louisville, Kentucky, singer songwriter is picking up the torch Kacey Musgraves lit with Pageant Material and skipping around small town America with it, laying waste to everything from Christian conservative double standards and cowboy authenticity to gender dynamics and the wagging tongues of women at her local church.

The Tough Love EP collects together previous singles, 'I Got a New One,' 'Somebody Cooked Here' and 'Mama,' along with the TikTok teased 'Bible Belt,' 'Ain't Country' and the title track for a set of songs that feel like Janis from Mean Girls whispering small town gossip to you in the back pew of a church.

Taking the recipes handed down by generations of women in country, Elizabeth Nichols cooks them all up together for an absolute feast of zippy one liners and mortifying put downs, all served up with a local hairdresser's down-to-earth conversational charm and her tongue firmly in her cheek.

There's touch of Loretta Lynn, a pinch of Ella Langley, a little sprinkling of Kaitlin Butts and a dash of Maggie Antone to her songs. Plus, a great big dollop of Megan Moroney that on occasion threatens to overwhelm some of the other flavours, but who cares when it's as delicious as this.

We'll take as much of it as we can stuff our face with. 

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