Despite overwhelming critical praise for his 2022 debut, and tours with Noah Kahan – one of the biggest names in modern folk – and counting Zach Bryan as one of his earliest fans, the thought of pulling together the follow-up filled Jack Van Cleaf with dread. While he should have been brimming with confidence having experienced so much success shortly after graduating from college, the reality was quite different.
“I was shell-shocked,” he recalls. “I’d spent my whole life being told what to do every single day, and I always dreamed about growing up to be my own boss. Then graduation came, and I got what I wanted… but I realized I had no idea how to function on a day-to-day basis.”
So, he took his time with what would become JVC, his follow-up album. He headed to Joshua Tree and then the border between Texas and Mexico, and started writing. He ended up with a far more consistent album than its predecessor while still maintaining all of the charm and freshness of 2022’s Fruit From the Trees. Folk is still at the core of this record, but he also doesn’t shy away from slipping into different genres like Americana and Indie Rock.
“Smoker,” one of the early singles, is an acoustic folk track that could have slotted effortlessly onto Nirvana’s Unplugged. While the driving “Green” is a perfect mix of Americana and catchy Indie Pop. But the best track here – musically and lyrically – is the Country-tinged “Using You,” easily one of the best in a long tradition of songs that compare love to a drug (“Attention getting me higher than the moon/C’mon, baby, you can be the lighter to my spoon”).
He also brings in early supporter Bryan to help with him on “Rattlesnake,” a reimagining of his first viral hit of the same name that was initially released in 2023 (the song that drew the attention of Bryan in the first place). There is also a great duet with Gatlin on the song “Teenage Vampire,” a straight-up rock number that builds to a boil before simmering down again.
JVC may have been built on nerves and self-doubt but there is no denying that the result is ultimately a great record. It also serves as confirmation that Van Cleaf’s initial success was more than a fluke.
