Jake Whiskin – “Long Way Home”

SXSW 2023 – OEB Score 7, Popularity Index 5

Pairs well with…Conor Oberst, Alexander Biggs, Christian Lee Hutson

Jake Whiskin’s “Long Way Home” is already on repeat for me. It’s the kind of song that makes you smile when it comes on while you are driving alone down a calm highway. Whisken says he discovered classic songwriting through his father’s Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen record collection, but he filters these influences through a modern lens reminiscent of  Big Thief or the Manchester Orchestra. This song, and others off his self-titled 2022 album, blends delicate vocals, atmospheric Americana instrumentation layered with classic indie rock melodies. There are additional chilled indie folk gems on the album such as the as introspective “Slow Motion,” which features some nice guitar reverb to offset the plaintive chorus. But the other stand out track, which has already garnered over a million Spotify plays as a single, is the similarly named, Drive You Home.” It’s a beautiful duet with Lizzie Reid about the end of a relationship, with them singing together, “I will drive you out of your mind, and then I’ll drive you home.” This duet brings back memories of the wonderful sadcore folk pop band aptly named “The Weepies.”  The danger for this kind of quiet, contemplative singer songwriter at SXSW is that he could easily get drowned out by a chatty crowd or a neighboring club’s speakers. So try to seek him out at a quieter venue, or even better, at the ACL Radio live morning show. Andy Langer, are you listening? (David Zlotnick)