ALBUM REVIEW: Hello June Takes a Hard Look Back and Forward on ‘Artifacts’
Rachel Cholst
Posted On October 5, 2023
Lots of artists emerged from lockdown with a newfound sense of purpose, perhaps a new level of introspection or with a new style or instrument. This is important, but, if we’re being honest with ourselves, we’re all a little worse for wear. Hello June’s new album, Artifacts, their first in five years, fits that mood much better. Artifacts is weather beaten and worn around the edges, full of regrets and truths that should have been told much sooner. This is an album for those moments when we need to look at ourselves with unflinching honesty.
Grief sits heavy on Artifacts, though for singer Sarah Rudy that loss far predates the pandemic, with the fuzz-laden “Interstate” finding her reconciling with the loss of her father to addiction. Even as Rudy recounts a fond moment with her father, there is a bitter edge, a tang of anger at herself for taking the good times for granted.
This self-loathing is a strong undercurrent for the album, with “Honey I Promise” and “Faded Blue” propulsive rockers that mock Rudy’s tendency to miss the forest for the trees. “Honey I Promise” in particular is striking with its imagery of Rudy skipping out on social obligations to write music, music that she feels might not get her anywhere. “Faded Blue” is a heavier song with a driving beat, Rudy’s voice drawling above the fray in a manner reminiscent of Sarah Shook.
Rudy never lets us off easy, even with her melancholy take on “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Artifacts leaves us here, wondering where the road has taken us and where it leads. Whatever the destination is, Hello June shows us the imperative to doggedly pursue it no matter what.
Hello June’s Artifacts is out Oct. 6 on 31 Tigers Music.
