If you have Spotify, go on there and take a look at what Atlus’ most listened-to song is.
If, like me, it’s not quite to your taste, it still gives you an insight into the fact that Sean Hayward — the man who is Atlus — isn’t your typical country star.
And star is a fair enough word, because a billion streams makes you one these days. It also gets you noticed by major labels, and “Secondhand Smoke” is his debut foray into that world. Quite the rise for a former truck driver who grew up in poverty, with a turbulent family life and addiction in the mix.
Fair play to him, too, for barely watering down the sentiment on this six-tracker.
The title track wrestles with doubts, and there’s a bit of R&B that runs through much of this record. Indeed, it can all be summed up by a line in its lyrics: “Nothing hurts worse than hope.”
Even as a grown man — as opposed to the ten-year-old on the opener — the demons are still there. “Devil Ain’t Done” has them buried deep; it just delivers them with a pop chorus that the likes of X Ambassadors would be proud of.
The acoustics of “IOD on You” hide a deep discussion on addiction of all kinds, while “The Art of Letting Go” is a ballad of haunting proportions. “Baby Momma” puts his mother’s resilience in the spotlight and highlights the bond that seems to inform so much of the record.
“Break Me First,” like so many of the tracks here, seems to find the light at the end of the tunnel — proof that the struggle is worth it.
Atlus is very obviously different from his peers. Where they’re down at the fishing hole longing for the hometown, Atlus is running to escape the darkness that pervades.
It makes him in general — and “Secondhand Smoke” in particular — a very interesting proposition.
Rating: 8/10
