Reassure Me There’s A Window
Palace Flophouse, 2020
9/10
Listen to Reassure Me There’s A Window
A New England singer-songwriter with an affinity for rich melodies and folky, Americana song craft, Reassure Me There’s A Window offers us 11 tunes where a poetic and intimate delivery makes an immediate impression.
Thomas starts the listen with the shimmering folk qualities of the dreamy “All You Can Do”, where soft yet expressive singing flows alongside the strings, and the acoustic guitar fueled title track follows with sublime beauty as pedal steel adds much to the atmosphere.
Elsewhere, “Shy Hinges” glows with a country spirit amid the punchy melodies and piano, while the vocally strong “There’s Not A Thing” recruits some chamber pop ideas amid the horn friendly, finger picking acrobatics. “Catherine Ames”, the album highlight, then utilizes precise guitar playing as Thomas finds a gentle, textured place to reside with literary references.
Closer to the end, “Initials” parallels the warm beauty achieved by artists like Iron & Wine in its bare delivery, and one of the fullest tunes, “Whaddya’ Know”, finishes out the listen with an upbeat and glorious pace of festive pop-rock.
Even though this is the first solo effort for Thomas, he’s cut his teeth fronting Wild Sun, and here on his own he draws parallels to Paul Simon or Mark Knopfler with his timeless approach that stands out in the very crowded indie-folk pool.
Travels well with: Andrew Combs- Ideal Man; Justin Townes Earle- Kids In The Street