WESTERMAN Vinyl & CDs

Review: It's taken three years for Westerman to follow up that acclaimed debut album, Your Hero Is Not Dead, and to say the Athens-based pop outsider has been through a lot since would be nothing short of an understatement. After all, much of this record took form during the pandemic, a time that was difficult enough for bands, let alone soloists who had just offered the world their first intimate self-portrait.
That period was defined by intense isolation, heartbreak, fear, and anxiety, and some of those emotions have made it onto LP two. The title itself is a reference to humanity's innate flaws and weaknesses, while - perhaps ironically - the production sounds almost like a celebration of what it means to be alive. Live sounding, every breath, movement of hand down an acoustic guitar, and imperfection is captured in this expansive but intimate journeyman indie rock.