On “Sleeveless Hearts”, Jordan Keller, the songwriter, frontman, and producer of Chicago-based solo-project-turned-musical collective The Okay Lakes, poetically celebrates the sometimes cringe-worthy moments of your early 20’s that for seemingly no reason at all creep back up on you in the middle of the night for a momentary cold sweat. Showing technical prowess behind the boards and a knack for introspective songwriting, Keller’s arrangement creates a warmth that goes a long way in making it easier to look at these past shortcomings with a little more understanding. The Okay Lakes album Redshift is due out 12/6/2022.
“Sleeveless Hearts” is the sound of those final summer nights of late adolescence—boisterous, bleary-eyed, epic. Lyrically, the character in this song reminds me of being in my early 20s. Of drinking late into the night because what the hell is a tomorrow. Of being the type of person whose idea of a fun night is one that devolves into bottomless arguments about philosophy, religion, politics, or some other topic about which everyone involved knows nearly nothing. Of being the type of person who quotes authors they haven’t read. Of having one toe in the real-world, not yet feeling its consequences, but already certain that they understand them. Of having “no knowledge and boundless conceit,” to quote the sort of author this person might quote (despite having not read them),” says Keller.
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Fantastic track!