Scot “Little” Bihlman has trailblazed forward with a two-track release, the contemplative single “Seems Like Yesterday” and the instrumental interlude “The Devil’s Cradle.” Taken together, the tracks mark a pivotal moment in the arc of his forthcoming album Heavy Head, widening its scope before narrowing in on something more personal and quietly bruised.
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“The Devil’s Cradle” launches with steel guitar and drifting harmonica, evoking the isolation of the desert highway at sunset. There’s a hint of cinematic scope to it, like a late ’70s Americana record. It’s not showy, not indulgent, just atmosphere and distance. This piece was born from many miles of riding the California coast, and it captures the range of human experience passing by in the moment. Different roads, different outcomes, but the same sun in the sky. It’s a brief but deliberate transition into the album’s emotional second half.
“Seems Like Yesterday,” a track that could easily find a home between The Black Crowes and ’90s country rock, but never feels like it’s borrowing from anyone else. Based around a repetitive lead guitar riff and rooted in rhythm and blues, it’s a track with a natural, easygoing momentum. It’s the sound of two people who have shared something special but are, at the end of the day, very different, living parallel lives that occasionally touch before drifting apart once more. There’s smoke in the air. There’s coffee in the cup. The night is over, but its aftermath is most definitely not. Bihlman allows the moment to hang, and it’s this that lends the repeated refrain of “Seems like yesterday” its weight.
As the horns build into the final chorus, the song expands just enough to imply a sense of perspective without resorting to easy redemption. There’s an outlaw country undertone here, one that’s been softened by understanding and experience. No grand statements, no drama. Just a matter-of-fact acknowledgment of the repetition, the longing, and the knowledge that some lessons are learned slowly. With this release, Bihlman is further developing Heavy Head into an album that pays homage to the classic rock and country traditions while speaking in a voice that has been informed by experience. It’s a record that will speak most clearly to those who know that reflection is its own burden.