Sinking Ships doesn’t play Americana by the book—he stains it with Detroit’s garage rock grit and lets it linger in the air like Secondhand Smoke, which also happens to be the title of his latest single. With twangy, roots-reverent guitars cradling the intro, the track gently pulls you in before his gravelly, whiskey-soaked vocals take centre stage. Echoing the swagger of Dogs D’Amour and The Stones, his delivery balances rugged sincerity with a devil-may-care coolness.
The sepia-toned lull doesn’t last long. As the crescendo kicks in, the single shifts from dusky introspection to full-blown rock ‘n’ roll earworm. Winding guitar strings, steel guitar timbres, and brashy chords ensure the alt-country undercurrent never fades completely—it stays locked in, an uplifting presence coursing through the track’s folk storytelling heartbeat.
True to tradition, Secondhand Smoke paints a panorama of a portrait, tracing a beatnik attempt at self-discovery, where hope clings to the horizon like the last glow of a setting sun. Whether meaning is found or not seems almost secondary—the real story is in the search itself.
With this release, Sinking Ships proves he’s found his footing in the crossfire of alt-country, indie, and garage rock. His sound isn’t polished, it isn’t predictable, but it lands exactly where it needs to—right in the marrow of modern Americana’s restless spirit.
Stream Secondhand Smoke on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
