Jake Sheppard crafts a lush, genre-bending gem with album, "Golly"
On the surface this record might seem like a straightforward folk album, but once you really listen, we promise you’ll realize it’s so much more than that. Jake Sheppard's "Golly" leans fully into that sensibility. Blending elements country-rock with a distinctly freak folk edge, this record sits comfortably alongside artists like Devendra Banhart or David Berman as it carries that same lilting, candid, funny kind of heartsick energy that makes those artists so beloved. However, Jake 100% has his own thing going.
Recorded and produced in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, "Golly" is built around this idea of exploring "Love & Folly in the Calamity of Our Times," and that framing gives the album a really captivating scope. These songs celebrate life's messier, more uncertain moments while also questioning them, and Sheppard's self-deprecating lyricism makes that balance hit in the coolest way. His songs feel ill at ease in a way that's completely intentional, distinctly folk in tone, but with a little special sauce on the side to jazz it up.
Musically, this record is genuinely lush. The guitar work throughout is outstanding, blending acoustic and electric textures in a way that feels perfectly balanced, always in service of the song. The mixing puts real emphasis on the vocals too, and his choice pays off beautifully, letting his soulful and emotive delivery take center stage. He's clearly a gifted storyteller but hearing his voice sit so prominently in the mix only reinforces the talent. Some major standouts on our end were “Across the Red Rubicon”, “Sustainability Blues”, and maybe our favorite, “Come to Collect”
Across thirteen songs though, "Golly" builds into such a cohesive listening experience. The album moves fluidly between upbeat, slightly more energetic moments and softer reflective ones. The best is it never loses its footing or its consistent tone throughout. There's a real sense of pacing at work here, letting the record breathe naturally rather than front loading all its energy or dragging in its quieter passages. It's the kind of album that rewards a full front to back listen, unfolding almost like the changing light of a Fall day, warm, a little melancholic, but never without hope.
Sheppard doesn't shy away from vulnerability, but he also never lets the record get bogged down in its own weight. We mentioned the sort of tongue in cheek style lyrics at time and the playfulness. You can really feel he’s having fun and he kept us entertained from start to finish.
Plain and simple, this record is special. It’s lush, soulful, full of heart, and that’s exactly why we want you to listen. So please, go ahead and click those links below to listen in and of course to follow along for more!
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