“What is this feeling that I have // ​​Like I’m caught between the here and the now? // Just some shitty midlife crisis // That would bore even the steadiest crowd?” — the first lines of the track Reality Winner capture very well what Andrew Bryant’s new album A Meaningful Connection is about. Here’s a man confused about time and truth, needs and fears. What is a meaningful connection? What is real? What story haven’t I told yet? What if the supposed truth turns out to be a lie? How will I go when my time comes?

The cover photo recalls John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-ins for Peace, but we don’t see flowers but a smartphone. Opening song Private Window explains: “Folk singers on Twitter // You know they’ve got all the answers // They’re all at the tips of your fingers // In that pale blue light // You can lay down in your bed // Hang your hat on every line that you’ve read // While your lover is dreaming // You are waking to that blue bird song.” The American songwriter / musician struggles, but manages to capture his quest in poetic lyrics, with many topical phrases worth remembering. He wrote, recorded, produced, performed and mixed all the music himself, an impressive achievement. “I sing all my songs and feel them // Staring at the back of my eyelids // And we call this a meaningful connection”, he sings in Birmingham, with a voice that is vulnerable and powerful at the same time. I feel the songs too. This is a beautiful indie pop record.

Out now digitally and on vinyl LP. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp