forestlike // i was waiting

we are live! limited edition color vinyl can be purchased via bandcamp. 

all songs by jared myers & joshua wayne hensley

drums on (2), (3) and (12) by Spencer Tweedy
strings on (1) and (12) by Billie Howard and Kaitlin Grady, recorded by Thymme Jones
baritone guitar + snare on (6) and accordion + backing vocal on (9) by Michael Harold Doty
lap steel on (2) and (11) by John Barlow
wurli on (2) by Zach Hench

mixed by jwh
mastered and lacquers cut by Carl Saff
cover photo by Randall S. Murphy
design by Nicholas Erickson/ Repeater Press

~~~patsy presents~~~ 

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Put yourself in freshly cut grass. Put yourself on a tightrope. Put yourself on a back porch in July under a gentle rain. Put yourself inside a rhododendron. Put yourself on pause.

Listen.

Now you’re in the chamber of 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, the new forestlike record by long-time friends and collaborators Jared Myers and Joshua Wayne Hensley.

Informed by a decision to record foundation tracks live, incorporating room mics and doing away with external metronomes, the DIY sensibility and existential fidget of the work is very much of its moment, when a world we think we know repeatedly breaks open. These fissures inform the turn and swivel of songs like 𝘫𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯 or 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦, which glide under the surface just when we expect a bold splash, as if each song is in conversation with us, offering a gentle point of entry.

𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸
𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦
𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸

While forestlike is distinctly and uniquely Myers and Hensley, it carries echoes of Bill Monroe, Elliott Smith, Alex Chilton, The Dirty Three, along with backing support from Spencer Tweedy, Billie Howard, Kaitlin Grady, Michael Harold Doty, John Barlow, and Zach Hench. The first track, 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘵, sets the tone: a twangy but orchestral celebration of minor chords and vaulting harmonies. It takes even this atheist listener to church, which I mean as the greatest (if most reluctant) compliment.

Tempos range from the upbeat 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦 and 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘳 to the haunting and poignant 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 and 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘢. This is a decidedly Midwest record, owing much to fields, cicadas, heat, honeysuckle, and the angst of inhabiting the middle of things. Whether love letter or exquisite corpse is for the listener to decide. One thing for certain: each track eases pain even while articulating it.

𝘪𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦
𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘪 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯
𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺

Forestlike promises, in 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵, to “rescue you if you rescue me.” This reciprocity – one where the songwriters reach directly for the hands of their listeners – defines the tone of this singular duet and their plea for serenity in the noise.

This is the kind of record that urges you to slow down, carry on, suck slowly on an ice cube, make a mixtape for someone you love, cry ugly. 𝘎𝘰 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, it seems to say, 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦.

-Christy Prahl
September, 2026