Jake Etheridge - “Because I’m High”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 7

Pairs Well With…James Bay, Bon Iver, Lewis Capaldi

Jake Etheridge continued his strong track record of enjoyable acoustic pop/rock on his third EP, 2020’s Because I’m High, a collection of sweet and sad songs that highlight Etheridge’s accessible songwriting. With a foot in Americana and another in low-key indie rock, Etheridge sticks to ballads on Because I’m High, reflective tracks all looking inward - explorations of self-doubt within the slog of life. He’s a subtle vocalist, but there are rich tones in his alt-country leaning approach that sweetly match the understated-to-lush music underneath. (Kevin McStravick)

2020 Review: There’s always value in a sweet little love song, something Nashville artist Jake Etheridge explores and enhances on a couple of EPs and surrounding singles since his debut six years ago. Formed around quiet acoustic balladry, Etheridge doesn’t twist the model too much, but look out for the chamber folk orchestration of “Through the Fire” and “Just Let Go” or the alt-country grandeur in “Only Everything” to hear his space of solitude expanded in different ways. What really makes Etheridge stand out is his songwriting, tangled in classic pop and bedroom folk styles without losing an Americana core that grounds his sound to his Tennessee home.