Ruston Kelly - Pale, Through the Window
“All I know is where you go, I will go”.
Ruston Kelly’s fourth album Pale, Through the Window, released September 12th via Rounder Records, is about love. It’s also about personal growth, finding peace, and faith. And it’s one of the best singer-songwriter records of the year.
Musically, the album comes with everything that can usually be expected from a Ruston Kelly project - his signature mix of his country roots with rock and even sometimes slight pop-punk influences. This record sees the sound executed arguably better than ever, with bright, silky-smooth production. There’s a dreamy resonance to a lot of the tracks contributing to the elating feeling that much of the project carries.
The star of the show is Ruston Kelly himself, though. His trademark warm, weathered vocals are a perfect fit for the subject matter of the project, flowing gently over the instrumentals and conveying the sincerity that brings the album to life. And his songwriting is stronger than it’s ever been, particularly on tracks like “Wayside”, where he sets his newfound love against the chaos of the world around him and his partner, or “Pickleball” - arguably the best song on the record, which tells the story of their first meeting and the development of their relationship. The lyricism is tender and honest, delivered in a very earnest way that significantly boosts its emotional impact and makes “Pale, Through the Window” a very immersive experience. The journey of searching for peace, love and God is a fairly common topic, particularly in country music, but Kelly puts more than enough personality and real-life inspiration into this project to make it unique to himself.
The LP has a nice variety to it in terms of energy level; while the slower tracks like “Half Past Three”, “Waiting To Love You” or “House in the Country” are great, the project is at its best when it’s more upbeat, such as on the aforementioned “Wayside” and “Pickleball”, “Give Up the Ghost” or “Me and You”. Those songs truly get across the positive, at times even jubilant energy of the project, and feel really heartwarming. Every track feels like it was made with great care and love.
In conclusion, Pale, Through the Window is a heartfelt, genuine, beautiful record, one that showcases Ruston Kelly’s growth as an artist and as a person, all wrapped up in a light, sunny, vibrant production package. It’s arguably the finest addition yet to his incredibly consistent discography, and is an under-the-radar pick for one of the best projects to be released in 2025.
8.8/10
