Justin McClure shares his debut EP, Take My Hours, Take My Days, out now, August 21st on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

For rising star Justin McClure, there’s an unpolished authenticity to his music that’s rarely found in modern music. On his new EP, Take My Hours, Take My Days, the Virginia native leans into that quality in a way that feels uniquely genuine. With a husky voice that drawls over mostly acoustic guitars and light instrumentation, the singer-songwriter hearkens back to a different generation where things were less polished and more honest.

While he leans heavily into folk and Americana, he excels in his authenticity. The EP opens with the stunning “Another Season,” its strumming guitars hearkening back to a simpler time as his distinct rasp floats over the airy acoustics. As the chorus kicks into full, the sample is primed for a viral TikTok moment with its catchy and undeniable hook full of nostalgia. It then segues into a singalong, Noah-Kahan-esque bridge and it’s the perfect intro to the rising singer-songwriter. 

“So take my heart and keep it beating,” He proclaims triumphantly. “I’ll keep holding on to thinking // Every color has a reason I’ll find mine another season”

Much of the EP follows the wandering musician through his travels, from the fields of Montana to the streets of New York City, and everywhere in-between. One of those such in-betweens is “Seneca Lake,” a picture postcard memory of a childhood trip, nostalgia lacing each and every word. Despite that, it grapples with the simpler times and the fact that nostalgia can’t fuel eternal happiness.

“Blubird Days” and “Build You a Boat” are the most typical love songs, with neither being all that typical. The latter tells the tale of “Lila,” finding him choosing love and adventure. There’s something endlessly romantic about its willingness to embrace the road less traveled, suggesting that sometimes the destination matters less than who you choose to take with you.

 “I’ll follow you even if it kills me // You want to travel the world, I’ll build you a boat. And darling, I’ll go wherever you wanna go.”

Meanwhile, “Manhattan’s Alright” finds our folk hero moving to Brooklyn, only to discover that the city isn’t necessarily everything he imagined it would be. Still, there’s excitement and optimism there. He may not be completely sold on Manhattan, but he’s hopeful about what comes next, embracing the fact that the dream doesn’t always have to look exactly the way you imagined it.

The EP ends in cinematic fashion, finding its way to Montana with “Fields of Aster.” Here, among the fields and mountains, the journey comes to a close. After spending much of the project wrestling with depression, nostalgia, uncertainty and the search for happiness, McClure ends somewhere that feels open and expansive. Sonically, the last song offers a special moment, stunning instrumentation adding a melancholy feel to McClure’s already poignant vocals, punctuated here by stirring female background vocals.

For Justin McClure, Take My Hours, Take My Days truly takes listeners on a journey, both scenically and emotionally. It accepts that life is a made up seasons, always changing and never the same, and after every dark winter, comes the bloom of another spring.

Take My Hours, Take My Days Track List: