"Next To You" by Jess Kerber |Review

Jess Kerber's sublime new single "Next To You," released April 2nd through Felte, further establishes her as one of Americana-folk's most promising emerging voices. Following her debut "I Wonder If I'll Forget This," this captivating offering demonstrates remarkable artistic growth while maintaining the intimate vulnerability that makes her work so compelling.

The Louisiana-born, Nashville-based artist crafts a delicately uncanny soundscape guided by understated electronic programming and hypnotic fingerpicked guitar patterns. What begins as a gentle, atmospheric whisper patiently builds throughout the track, with Kerber's multi-tracked, honeyed vocals rising from a gentle coo to a stirring howl that showcases both remarkable confidence and finesse.

Lyrically, "Next To You" explores the revelatory nature of dreams, with Kerber explaining, "Next To You is about the ways your dreams tell you what you don't yet know about yourself." Written in her childhood bedroom, the song carries an ethereal quality where "hazy memories seem to always come back up to the surface," creating a dreamlike narrative that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable.

Kerber's musical foundation—developed since first picking up a guitar at age 12 and refined through her studies at Berklee College of Music—shines throughout. Her unique approach to tunings and picking styles reveals the influence of icons like Joni Mitchell and Susan Tedeschi while establishing a distinctly personal sonic signature. Collaborator Will Orchard's production provides the perfect complement, adding fullness to the arrangement through pedal steel, Wurlitzer, and ambient guitar textures without overshadowing the pure emotional core of Kerber's composition.

For those drawn to the poetic storytelling of Elliott Smith or Sufjan Stevens, "Next To You" offers a similarly intimate experience while carving out its own distinct space in the contemporary folk landscape. The song captures the tender complexities of human connection with effortless grace, confirming what early champions like Stereogum and Tonic Grain have recognized—Jess Kerber possesses a rare ability to translate vulnerability into something profoundly beautiful.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.