Evan Honer

“When the going gets tough, I’ll stick through the season,” he promises during “Maybe For Once.” On the surface, it’s a love song to a woman he met on the road, her memory lingering in the rear-review mirror every time his van pulls away. For someone who’s used to living life at 80 miles per hour, though, the song is something more: a self-made promise to focus not only upon the destination, but on the journey itself. “These songs are about me not getting in my own way,” he clarifies. “I’ve stopped looking for reasons not to commit. I’m pushing myself to just let things happen.” The rest of the record is similarly personal. On the cinematic piano ballad “It’s a Home,” Honer whisks himself back to childhood to unpack some traumatic family baggage. On “Place I Hate,” he sings about a career filled with astral highs and bottomed-out lows. With the short-and-sweet “Waiting Room,” he delivers a genuine love song in less than two minutes, showcasing just how concise his craft has become over the past three years. And with “Curtain,” he sings directly to the fans who’ve supported him over the years, singing, “You guys bother showing up to hear me scream about my feelings… I don’t know if