No Lonesome drops extended version of debut EP

A product of Chicago’s DIY music scene, No Lonesome is the endeavour of musician and producer Jeb Backe, a name that’s become positively enmeshed with the city’s indie underground. Through a sound that feels at times dreamy and others tinged with subtle dissonance, No Lonesome turns nostalgia into atmosphere, offering songs that shimmer with melancholy and shake with a strange vitality.

It’s music that seems to exist in the blurred space between memory and presence, as though it’s been salvaged from a half-forgotten day and reassembled into something new. Since first stepping onto the scene in 2021 with the debut single “For Carlo,” No Lonesome has been building an intricate sonic world out of gentle folk style, warm production and open-hearted storytelling. That first release was followed by “Strange How” and by 2023, with the release of “To Begin” and the debut album Flowers Recomposing, No Lonesome’s vision had fully come into focus.

The nine-track record felt like a statement of artistic confidence, an album that moved between lo-fi intimacy and cinematic aesthetic, establishing Jeb Backe as one of the most fascinating new voices in Chicago’s indie landscape. Collaboration has long been a defining part of No Lonesome’s creative process, with ongoing partnerships with local musicians such as Smushie, Astrachan and Berta Bigtoe creating a sense of shared energy that runs through the project. It’s a communal ethos that’s helped No Lonesome’s music strike a chord beyond their local scene, building an audience not just across the Midwest, but internationally too.

Most recently, they’ve expanded their musical output with last year’s EP, Am I What I’m Not? and now they bring us their latest release with the extended version of the EP. This new version is titled Am I What I’m Not? Probably Not. Wait! and while the original iteration leaned toward reflection, its newly expanded version adds propulsion with four additional tracks, including two demos.

Set up by the mellow sway of folk rock opener “Falls Apart,” the warm strums of guitar and brush of laid back percussion underpins Jeb’s expressive vocals to form an engaging jam that’s catchy and wrapped in a charming retro fabric. “Foramen” flows with delicate guitar notes and transportive trumpet leads to cast a subtly brooding and wholly absorbing instrumental outing.

The lively jump of bouncy rhythm on “Good Hurt” glides with immersive instrumentation and sweeping vocals to deliver a memorable moment of pop-inflected folk rock music. “Great Eternal” brings energising power pop vibes carried by the rustle of drums and plod of warm bass notes capped by Jeb’s compelling vocal performance.

Next up, a demo of “Dry Run” frames No Lonesome’s emotive songwriting in a stripped back setting, capturing their intimate performance of moving vocals and gentle acoustic guitar backing. The demo version of opening track “Falls Apart” adds new context to the song, distilling its delightful melodies and lilting rhythms into a minimal, acoustic sound. With “Randy Bye,” the screech of twanging notes gives way to the upbeat shuffle of pattering percussion and timeless country feel, offering an alluring Americana bop that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face before the EP concludes with “off at the door,” where the soft whistle and acoustic guitar notes combine to form a playful instrumental finale to the release.

Listen to Am I What I’m Not? Probably Not. Wait! below