Chicago’s No Lonesome has always lived in that hazy borderland where country twang, folk warmth, and indie-rock shrug all share the same cigarette. With Am I What I’m Not? Probably Not. Wait! the DIY project of musician-producer Jeb Backe tightens the screws a bit, nudging that laid-back smugness into punchier, more focused territory. It still feels handmade, with mixed-fidelity edges and all, but there’s a new sense of drive and a voice that sounds less apologetic and more “like it or leave it,” as the songs wander from self-questioning to something vast and cosmic.
“Falls Apart” kicks things off by doing the exact opposite of its title sonically. Jangly, sun-splashed guitars strum out a catchy, almost jolly tune, the rhythm bouncing along while Backe sings lightly and relaxed, like someone casually admitting the house is on fire while topping off your coffee. That tension between breezy sound and crumbling foundations is where the track really lives.
Then “Foramen” slips in like a deep breath between thoughts. A warm, soft horn drifts over an ebbing bed of sound, less a full song than a portal, an opening, just like its title suggests, into a more reflective headspace. It feels like staring out of a train window and suddenly realizing how much you’ve been carrying.
“Good Hurt” builds on that mood with another glowing horn line riding a low, rumbling rhythm. Backe’s vocal trails and relaxes, like he’s leaning back in the mix, turning pain over in his hands.
Closer “Great Eternal” finally lets the EP stretch its legs. Catchy rhythm, rustling beats smacking in tight formation, and a voice that soars then drifts, exhilarated but unhurried. By the end, Am I What I’m Not? Probably Not. Wait! is a small, scruffy, intimate, offbeat, epiphany, bigger than it first lets on.
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Review by: Naomi Joan