Jeremy Hilliard – Swiftwater (Album Review)

The renowned folk artist delivers an introspective and melodic album that broods upon time and the ups and downs rollercoaster of life.

New York-hailing singer-songwriter Jeremy Hilliard first debuted in 2023, but began releasing home demos as early as 2021 across various platforms such as YouTube and Soundcloud. Hilliard is also well known for the music of his previous band, Turbine and also as a current member of the Brooklyn band PEAK. Having built up a large portfolio of songs and gained recognition for his songwriting skill, the artist frequently collaborates with a variety of other musicians on his solo material, something that is highlighted on his new full album, Swiftwater.

Recorded at Hilliard’s home studio, Swiftwater has a grounded and well-defined sound due to not only Hilliard’s talent in composition but also due to the many gifted musicians helping make up the soundscape for the album, creating a rich and textured sound that the eleven tracks unquestionably benefit from.

The opening track, ‘Swiftwater’ kicks off the album’s overarching theme of time. After a spoken intro, Hilliard’s airy vocals rush in alongside a bouncy acoustic guitar accompaniment, backing vocals by Bethany Hilliard and Soukee Van Orden, bass by Josh T Carter and drums by Andrew Mega. The floating vocal melodies here match the track’s wistful lyrics that describe the whirlwind of time that often threatens to leave people behind in the dust (“Oh swiftwater, he who goes fastest goes alone…moving like its racing me home”).

A chill acoustic opening begins ‘Any Port in Stormy Weather’; a sombre track that describes how life can instantly be turned upside down by tragedy. The delicate, lilting tones of the singer’s voice mesh well with this stripped-back instrumental and lend lines like “The instinct to survive was all that was keeping me alive…” the emotional weight appropriate for such a brooding track. Hilliard uses ‘port’ here to refer to the safe space that everyone needs when going through trauma, which is also reflected through the soothing ambience of the instrumental.

Mega’s drums lead into the perky tempo of ‘Don’t Let Me Into Your Heart’ in which Hilliard tells of betraying a friend and a lover by being unfaithful (“I was weak as a leaf on a tree, desire was the Autumn breeze”). The upbeat tone of the chorus (“So don’t let me into your heart”) perfectly ties the track together with silky harmonies and an addictive melody.

The lyrical reminiscences of lost love in ‘Molly Wheelan’ as well as Hilliard’s longing vocals (“I think about you Molly Wheelan, when the first raindrops return”) greet listeners with a mournful charm, which is bolstered by a languorous electric guitar accompaniment. This theme is echoed in ‘Back To Bad’, which shines with Marshal Norton’s nimble touch on the keyboard and expresses Hilliard’s desire to wallow in his feelings of unrequited love (“I had it bad, now I’ve got it worse”) as the singer adopts a pensive tone, which connects pleasingly with the track’s pained lyrics. ‘Picking Up Where I Left Off’ carries on with this reflective tone as an electric guitar leads Hilliard’s ensemble into a dreamy soundscape with lyrics that determine to persevere through hard times (“Just keep picking up where I left off”).

‘You Have An Angel’ sees drummer Brendan Hefty, who developed the drum parts for a lot of the album, usher in a breezy mid-tempo instrumental beneath Hilliard’s croons and ear-worm melodies. This time the lyrics express surprise at how many lucky escapes someone has been granted after an adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle (“You must have an angel watching over you”).

Hilliard plays with the theme of losing control in the low-key acoustic ‘Getting the Hang of Living’ and the boppy ‘Keeping Time’. While on the former song Hilliard struggles to get back into the pace of life after being shaken by a break-up (“Every step I take takes everything”), the latter track sees the singer compulsively living life in the fast lane, consciously aware of his time running out (“I’m keeping time…I have to give it back once and for all”). The following track, ‘Speed of Light’ also picks up on this anxiety over the unpredictability of life and what it could mean for the future (“When we were young, tomorrow seemed like an eternity”). Through listening, audiences will notice the singer excels at delivering these complex sentiments in his poetic lyrics, tranquil soundscapes and beautifully crafted synergy with his accompanying musicians.

To close the album, Hilliard ends on the upbeat country-folk song ‘They Don’t Make ’em Like They Used To’, on which the singer muses on good times gone. With a bubbly keyboard and acoustic guitar instrumental blending pleasingly with Hilliard’s sunny vocals, it’s a perfect end to a deeply contemplative album, which sensitively considers the myriad of emotions that life evokes as the years roll on.

Score/Excellent: Hilliard’s sound is one of nostalgia, soul and unbridled emotion, which Swiftwater captures flawlessly. There’s a lot of charm here that listeners won’t be able to resist.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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