Pale, Through the Window

Ruston Kelly has never shied from the spiritual in his music, but this fourth album finds the Nashville-based singer-songwriter in an especially metaphysical mindset. Following his 2023 album *The Weakness*, *Pale, Through the Window* comes after a pivotal time for Kelly, who chronicles a period of reflection, healing, and blossoming love in these 13 new tracks. Kelly recorded the album live in Nashville alongside his touring band and longtime collaborator/producer Jarrad K (Morgan Wade, Tommy Prine), and there’s a subtle looseness in the music that comes from this intimate setup. The opening title track is built atop reverbed vocal harmonies, stacked for a gently mesmerizing effect that mimics being in the same room as Kelly and his crew. Lyrically, that song finds Kelly yearning hopelessly for a lost love, finding only himself instead. “Wayside” laments society “shouting from their phone” and highlights Kelly’s prowess as a melody writer, with a driving, sticky verse hook that breaks open at the chorus, while on “Waiting to Love You” he dips back into the rootsy pop rock of earlier fan favorites like “Mockingbird.” Kelly closes the LP with “All In,” a deeply confessional love song about fully committing oneself to another person, no matter how scary the prospect.