After introducing his first new LP since 2020’s Infinite Jess with the nu-Americana single “Overgrown Ocean,” Jesse Kivel is sharing two additional singles today that propose two very different paths the record may take: while “Age of Man” shifts the focus of the prior single’s knack for warm layers to stacked vocals (courtesy of Kacey Johansing and Matt Popieluch), “Puzzles in the Grass” takes the form of a sparse iPhone voice memo, with just Kivel’s hushed vocals pairing with imperfectly strummed acoustic guitar.
Although both tracks pay homage to early Neil Young and Jason Molina (Kivel’s new LP Life and Death at Party Rock is dedicated to the latter), the vocals on “Puzzles” often sound closer to those of Akron/Family’s Seth Olinsky, albeit with the late Magnolia Electric Co. songwriter’s compositions as an instantly familiar template. The resulting composition is made even more cryptic by its abstract lyricism, which Kivel notes was inspired by a passing comment made by his grandmother.
Equally abstract is the single’s Irene Yadao and Sam Brosnan–directed video, which sees Kivel and a friend braving the coastal winter either in the present day or in the 19th century—the fashion choices and absence of technology make it pretty hard to tell. Check it out below.
