Jeremy Parsons Is Both Strong And Intimate On “Things To Come” Album

For those rooted in the grassroots country scene, the name Jeremy Parsons should be a familiar name. The Texan local’s sophomore album, 2017’s ‘Things I Need to Say’ was a solid release of country inflected pop that punched well above its weight, and ith his latest work ‘Things To Come’, he takes a proud and comfortable step forward progressing his sound further.

From the album opener, the title track ‘Things To Come’, the album reveals how it revels in the gritty hallmark Texan style of country music intermingled with rock sensibilities. It retains a controlled and relaxed tempo, not too rushed or too slow, and it keeps this sound throughout its entire playtime. As it goes on however, it adds surprising amounts of depth and ambiance through excellent use of steel guitars and percussion. It’s very easy to get lost in the atmosphere, especially in tracks like ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Masquerade’.

More than anything, ‘Things To Come’ highlights Jeremy Parsons’ growth as a songwriter. His melodies still harken back to his roots in Texan country music, but he’s injected his own personality and touches to the music that was somewhat missing from his previous records. It results in a very honest and down-to-earth sounding record, and this carries over to the excellent lyrics on display.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of the album as a whole is the writing, and it’s at its strongest when Jeremy Parsons reflects on life and the insecurities many of us are too uncomfortable to address ourselves. The lines are rich and insightful, and delivered with the right amount of honesty and gravitas that such subjects deserve. Even through all of these heavier themes however, the album remains hopeful and optimistic.

It’s all very intimate, and I suspect that’s exactly what the goal of the album is. It’s as close as you get to sitting down with someone to talk about life and how everything’s going, and to that end it’s a huge success. The downside to this is that some may find some of the songs instrumentally sparse and mundane, but that’s a disservice to what the record manages to achieve so well.

Things To Come is the type of album you don’t just listen to. It’s the type of album you sit down to experience, absorb and think deeply about hours, days, even months after listening to it. It’s thematically grand but musically humble and modest. It’s lyrically rich but down-to-earth, and that’s perhaps the greatest strength of Jeremy Parsons’ as an artist. It’s a fantastic album, and I’m eager to hear what else he’s got in store in the future.

–Tom Tucker