Kansas City singer-songwriter Jared Bond continues carving his own lane with “Wild Guess,” released November 7, 2025. Recorded in the attic studio of longtime collaborator Jesse Kates, the track welcomes a small but mighty crew, with Mark Hamblin on upright bass and Rachel Jaggard, whose radiant harmonies glow behind Bond’s lead. Bond cites poetic storytellers like Dylan, Oberst, Father John Misty, and Jim James, and you can absolutely hear that lineage here, but with his own voice front and center. This single also marks a notable swerve away from his earlier, fuller arrangements, leaning instead into something rawer, quieter, and closer to the bone.
Right from the jump, “Wild Guess” wraps you in soft strummed guitar, gentle, steady, almost like a calming hand on the shoulder. Bond enters with relaxed, airy vocals. Light jittering percussion rattles softly beneath, giving the rhythm a fragile heartbeat. Then Rachel’s harmony slips in, warm, understated, glowing just behind him, adding emotional lift.
A piano chimes in here and there, like little thoughts passing through. Meanwhile, Hamblin’s upright bass grounds everything, with its rich, woody texture adding depth with every pluck. The arrangement stays minimal on purpose, making space for the lyrics to do the heavy lifting.
Bond sings candidly about modern loneliness, self-doubt, and the big question nobody likes saying out loud. Why am I still alone? Lines like “Do I wanna love a person or ignore myself?” cut straight to that existential tug-of-war. He later admits, “Looking for a direction / The world’s become a stage…” — sounding worn out, yes, but still searching for a meaning.
It’s intimate, unguarded, and disarmingly relatable, hitting like a truth you didn’t want to hear.
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Review by: Naomi Joan