Stylistic diversity is the name of the game on On, On & On, the 2023 LP from David M Western. This is just the Melbourne artist’s second album yet it sounds like he’s been at it for years. 

There’s a relaxed and organic feel to all of the songs across the record. Melodies hang and cascade over tumbling Levon Helm-styled rhythms (a real feature throughout) and a kind of wonky backwoods country funk and folk rock. 

The single ‘Roll, Roll, Roll’ is utterly infectious, a tripped-out rattle and clatter of a song that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Big Thief record. He effortlessly rolls on into the honeyed sound of ‘Buddy’ – like prime Ryan Adams, and while Western’s melancholic melodies may hog the spotlight, his lyrics are a real treat too, constantly painting scenes and evocative vignettes with wonderful economy. He’s definitely not a purist either, allowing his voice to warble and waver, adding a sense of the brave and vulnerable that hovers somewhere between John Prine and Neil Young. 

Unhurried, catchy and full of gentle twists and turns that will draw you into the world class songwriting right across this landmark Australian alt-country and folk-rock album.