Holly Lerski — Sweet Decline

What do you do when you’re recovering from a breakup with a long-term partner? Millions of people, of course, have written country songs. But not all of them take a transatlantic flight and spend three weeks road tripping across the US. Holly Lerski channeled her pain and loneliness into a sense of adventure on her recent album Sweet Decline, incorporating the sights and sounds of americana (with a little “a”) into her own storied indie rock career. Lerski spent her trip with a miniature guitar close to hand, and the results are engaging and healing.

Naturally, Lerski is inspired by the landscape of the American West, and this imagery is abundant throughout Sweet Decline. “Tall Trees” is an unusual kind of breakup song. There’s a sentiment of love lasting forever — sure, lots of people have claimed that. But Lerski’s interpretation is more mature: it’s not so much about yearning for someone who’s gone as it is acknowledging that this love will always be an important chapter in her life, even after she and her partner are gone. This is a song of acceptance less so than grief.

“Chicago,” the album’s opener, has an intriguingly experimental tone with a recurrent melody that reminds one of the lapping waters of Lake Michigan. Yet even as the narrator is weighted by grief, we are also given a determination to find fellowship with others and move on. Meanwhile, “Home Is Your Shoulder” is a sweet song that reminds us of what was lost — but could also be gained.

The back half of the album finds Lerski flirting with a coltish happiness. “Oh Cassy Run” is a sunny indie rock song that finds the narrator eager to move on to adventure. Likewise, “Joshua Tree” celebrates the freedom that comes with being on one’s own and getting to know oneself again. Sweet Decline is aptly-named, a mature exploration of grief and the opportunities that come from loss — eventually.

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