This week we’re taking a listen to The Future, The latest album from Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.

This album was written during the pandemic, like a lot of albums released this year. And Nathaniel Ratliff said that for a lot of his music, he writes trying to come from a place of hope. But he's neurotic, like a lot of us are. And he said that that neurosis sort of creeps in, and he can't make up his mind.

He writes in “Survivor”: “I’m afraid that the weight of the world is catching up to you / I’m afraid to admit that it’s catching up to me too.”

And so there are a lot of songs on this album that are grappling with that idea of hope versus looking around you and seeing so much that is not good and worrying. And that worry comes through. And what's so great is on that last album that Nathaniel Ratliff put out, it was an album all about that worry, and finding redemption and finding hope.

Well, now he's back with the Night Sweats. And with the full band, he just brings this extra energy. He's attacking the microphone in this way, where it almost sounds like he's biting off the edges of his words. There's some ferocity coming through with his singing, which adds to that idea of this being an album that is him trying to figure things out and having some anger inside of him. With the full horns and the full band, it does bring out that that feeling of hope shimmering underneath.

The first song that starts it off is the title track “The Future,” which has a bit more of an Americana angle on it. It's like a Dylan-inspired and influenced song. So that's a great place to start. And then it builds up in that intensity. So it's a great album to toss on for those weekends when you are sitting there and contemplating. Where am I at? How am I feeling in this wild world where there are a lot of things up in the air? And finding some comfort in the fact that you're not alone and trying to search out meaning and, ultimately, yes, finding some hope. So we'll be listening all week to Nathaniel rate lifts new album, the future. If you have any thoughts to share, feel free to let us know in the comments.