Welcome to the working week, rockers! Good Saint Nathanael is the folk rock solo project of Nate Allen, better known for his work in husband-and-wife duo Destroy Nate Allen. While DNA is known for joyful tunes and wacky antics, Good Saint Nathanael is a chance for Allen to show his serious and introspective side. Over this summer, Good Saint Nathanael put out a new album called I Write the Songs I Need which is made up of songs that Allen started working on a decade ago and finished recently, and it’s currently streaming on Bandcamp right now.
The album opens on “I Never Hesitated Trouble” with a clean, simple, steady guitar strumming with a vocal earnestness that falls somewhere between Bob Dylan and Laura Jane Grace. Then “I Think You’ve Got Potential” turns up the speed and energy, with a single acoustic guitar playing a distinctly punk style. The album’s lead single “Extension Chords” feels like a punkier version of the Mountain Goats or maybe a more acoustic version of early Green Day, with lyrics that reflect on seeking acceptance from others. “So I Run” is just a good old fashioned acoustic pop tune that’s toe-tappingly catchy.
“Everything’s Perfect, Everything’s Fine” has a bit of an intentionally nerdy delivery to the vocals that perfectly conveys the clever lyricism reflecting on self-doubt. “Baby Don’t You Cry” is a bit of slower song, almost a ballad, with powerfully emotional lyrics contrasted by the almost matter-of-fact delivery. “Heart Like David” is almost anarchistic in its structure, but the sparse guitars and short length allows you to focus on Allen’s strong lyrics. “Gravity” packs a lot of power and emotion into a song that’s just a sole acoustic guitar, with nostalgia and heartbreak woven into the lyrics.
“Someday I’m Moving On” has a Dylanesque feel melded with a modern emo-informed sensibility. Penultimate track “Take Me to the Place Where There is More” is a bit more of a driving rock song with more lyrics about self-doubt and self-loathing and a feeling of emotional exhaustion. Finally, the album ends on “I Want It to Be Over” which carries on that theme of emotional exhaustion with a catchy folk tune with a sort of old-school folksy feel to it.
Overall, it’s really amazing how many different styles and emotions Allen can get across on this album with nothing more than a single acoustic guitar. Check out the full album below.
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Photo courtesy of Tessa Allen
