By Ian Bremner

In a world of underrated guitar players and song craftsmen, Steve Gunn has to be near the top. Spending a lot of years touring with the Violators supporting Kurt Vile, you can hear some similarities in the drawn-out guitar jams, but like most great guitar players, Gunn has a flare and sound entirely his own.

Already with an impressive catalog in the tank, 2014’s Way Out Weather, was a re-introduction of sorts. His style is exploratory and expansive, but very clean. His newest release, Eyes On The Lines, isn’t a country/truck-drivin’ record by any means, but whether it is a direct reference to the yellow paint on the roads or not, it is a phenomenal bunch of songs to lose yourself into. Perhaps best paired with an introspective walk, road trip or staring out the window with a mug full of coffee or beer depending on the time of day.

Eyes On The Lines starts off with Ancient Jules, which immediately fires into the mood of the whole record. Just over 6 minutes, the song is one of those classic album openers and truly one of the great songs of the year. Eyes On The Lines will be one of those records ending up on “Best-Of” lists, but there’s a feeling it be appreciated more so in years to come when you rediscover it’s greatness. There really is no better feeling than reaching for an album, then turning to your friend 20 minutes later and saying, “dude, I forgot how awesome this is.”

Steve Gunn is finally getting the looks and listens he deserves as he completes his morph from a guitar player to a front man in a damn good rock n roll band.

Watch the video for Ancient Jules and listen to the full album, Eyes On The Lines via spotify

Ancient Jules