Honestly, most of the time you just need a distorted guitar and a song in G. Dave Ernst knows this — and he uses it well. In a moment where Americana seems to celebrate who has the best acid trip (no shame in that — it’s just A Very Particular Aesthetic), Ernst reminds us that Miller Hi Life is more than able to do the job.
Hickory Switch, as the title implies, leans heavily on the Lousiville, KY band’s Southern experiences. It’s an album that is rough-and-tumble. Ernst’s lyrics pour out of his mouth, desperate to deliver hard truths, even if it means breaking a few songwriting rules here and there. These are stories of people who don’t have any luxuries, and it makes sense that the songs feel a bit unvarnished. The album culminates in its title track, a four-minute Southern rocker about struggling with self-vilification that is impressive in its scope and clarity.