I initially wanted to pass on Hatteras Night. Will Johnson, of Centro-matic fame, has produced a tidy collection of songs with a country flare and carefully precise, minimalist production that felt challenging to me. But the more time I spent with it (in preparation for his stint of opening dates with John Moreland), I became drawn to the rich country influences of the album’s opener, “Childress (To Ogden).” The choir, the steel guitar, the rich chords feel timeless even as the naturalistic lyrics prove that the song could only be written now.
It was “Predator” that got me falling in love, though. A tender and joyful reflection on “that old time sound,” that Johnson revels in on Hatteras Night, this is one of my favorite love songs to music. But it wasn’t until I found “Every Single Day of Late,” a song I found…challenging, shall we say…stuck in my head that I knew I was hooked. Hatteras Night needs to be listened to all the way through, many times. It’s an album of subtlety that will continue to unfold itself for years to come. I’m excited to see what I’ll find. This is one of my favorite albums so far this year.
Will Johnson — Official, Bandcamp
Help support artists like Will by contributing to my Patreon page!