For fans of: Ambient Country

What they say: Remaining steadfast in their own dharma of “simple music,” McDermott and Walker unfold Long Cool World slowly, stretching time nearly to the point of dissolve, and usher new melodies like spring crocuses after a thaw. The inaugural notes of “The Living End” lull the proceedings into effect with patience, reverence, and grace, opening the record before listeners like an ever-shifting landscape. There are depths and distances that make the music easy to get lost in, and while getting lost can mean wandering away from what’s known and familiar, it can also mean a closer interrelation to our surroundings, and it’s the latter interpretation that Long Cool World seems to emphasize. - Aquarium Drunkard

What we say: North Americans is back with their follow up to 2020’s Roped In (also a staff pick of mine) and it couldn’t come at a more welcome time. I’m already picturing Long Cool World paired with long evening walks with headphones in as spring turns to summer or as a companion on a summer night with all the windows in my apartment open as I lay on the floor and long for an air conditioner. - K