FOR JIMMY: BOY GOLDEN'S NEW EP

The place you get born ain’t always where you’re coming from

Everything becomes fluid when you can pass through time and space like a ghost, a story, a melody. Boy Golden manifests all three on his new EP, For Jimmy.

I left who I was in the back of your car, but I know that our love was true

Album opener “Mountain Road” prepares us for the journey, Boy Golden’s thoughtful lyrics unfolding like a roadmap, guiding us through parables as landmarks, encouraging words for anybody who has struggled with a sense of self, identity or belonging. Its gentle momentum of swaying acoustic guitars pushes us upward and forward on an introspective journey to find out who we are — and shows us who Boy Golden has found in himself: a masterful storyteller.Jumping right into the action, “Aging Mr. Riley” is a mini-soundtrack in a song, showcasing Boy Golden’s finely tuned skills. Full of 90s roadhouse country twang, it’s the tale of two gamblers who double cross each other. It has a key change, duelling baritone guitars and one hell of a left hook that sends us for a loop into a gentler memory. While “Aging Mr. Riley ‘’ is full of pomp and swagger, Boy Golden strips down to just banjo and voice to open “Whatever Got Lost”, a spotlight soliloquy that’s reminiscent without being too melancholy. It’s hard living sometimes but there is beauty and hope in doing it.

Whatever got lost I want it backI really hope he finds itI really hope he does

Album pick me up “Hard Headed” is a pull-up-your-socks rocker, full of youthful vigour and lyrically familiar scenes you’d recognize from hanging around a small town as an adolescent outsider. The boppy bass and wild mustang guitar riffs cavort with a stubborn organ that always seems to get stuck in your memory cassette deck. It’s a song about being unapologetically yourself, and Boy Golden doesn’t hold back on its production. (It’s fun to dance to.)As the album winds further along away from The Church, “Blue Hills” is a postcard home, harkening back to Boy Golden’s love for roots and folk music. Highlighting his sweet-tea voice and attention to detail, “Blue Hills” is more mature and just wants to get you home safely with a feel-good sway. And he does.Album closer “Out On the Weekend” breezes quietly in, like a lullaby through an open window. Cozy, warm and comfortable, like a circle of friends, it waltzes us perfectly to the end of For Jimmy. We’re here, right now.