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Following the release of his popular debut single 'Frostbite', Jake Kohn has turned the page on the next chapter of his young career with the unveiling of his next song, 'Hard As Stone'.
A spritely offering that embraces a welcome major-minor challenge, the song offers a warmth in it's production like an empathetic arm around the shoulder - Kohn tucking the pain and suffering in his words under a comforter of playful, venturesome guitar and mournful, yearning harmonica.
We can't help but hear the stomp and holler of folk-revival favourites The Lumineers nestled underneath the bruises of Kohn's narrative, particularly as he gently emerges into the truth of his expression with his emotion-releasing chorus.
That's perhaps where the beauty of the song lies, in Kohn's ability to weave familiar, evocative pictures of a lack of affection with subtly skilled and joyful instrumentation. It's a prime example of both Kohn and a major-minor song's ability to move you physically and emotionally.
Alongside the release of the studio version of the song, Kohn has shared another recording of the track in the form of another entry in his 'From The Field' video series. Set out in front of a tractor and barn out on the farm on a beautiful blue-sky day, this version is much more stripped-back and vulnerable.
While the adventurousness of Kohn's guitar playing remains, his voice is truly at the forefront here - with every tremble and whisper in his throat, the sensitivity of Kohn's words ring harder.
What really hits though is the line; "I ain't one for slowing down, so I guess it's time to leave / Just like every time I've been let down / my roots will grow 'round your memory".
While thankfully Kohn hasn't lost his sense of self or what's he like as a person, he's the first to admit his life from this day forward will be influenced by the love he's lost, a heartbreakingly profound observation that will linger for a while.
For more on Jake Kohn, see below:
