If it wasn’t clear on his self-titled 2022 debut, country rocker Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears is a project of self-discovery for its guitar-virtuoso namesake. With his newly released Head in the Sand LP, the songwriter documented a burst of creativity which happened to coincide with a sense of personal growth. “I feel like I’m getting better at bringing out the music that is inside of me now,” he shared upon the record’s release. “I’m becoming cozier with sonic freedom and exploration, especially when it comes to recording. I want humanity and organic sound to be the hallmark of my music, and I think it comes across here.”
An important part of the project that Thompson leaves out is that it’s downright mesmerizing to hear him shred. His guitar skills are on full display in his recent “Neighborhoods” dispatch from his hometown of Nashville, wherein he plays through the album track “Riding in the Van” outside a friend’s house on the banks of the Cumberland River, with the city skyline visible in the distance. The minimal accompaniment becomes hardly noticeable as soon as the soft ballad gives way to impressive noodling. Check it out below.
