J. Killen Drops Harmony-Rich Single 'White Light' Ahead of Sophomore Album

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The track previews J. Killen's upcoming album, recorded in Portland and produced by Raymond Richards and Luke Messimer.

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J. Killen drank and drugged himself out of a promising music career, alienating many musicians along the way. He then relocated to Austin, Texas from LA which was just like adding gasoline to a fire. J. Killen's narrative seemed to point to one of two outcomes: death or oblivion.

Thankfully, his life did not veer down either of these broken dream avenues. Today, a clear-headed J. Killen is touring, working with old friends, and releasing solo music at a furious pace. His latest, the stark and somber sophomore solo album, Depression Dollars, will be his second record to be released in less than a year.

'I have this idea of legacy. I don't have a wife or kids, so I want to put out as many records as I can before I leave this world,' J. Killen explains. He continues: 'This is a record of love, loss, and depression. I came to a point where I needed music to process some emotions. It's not the most fun of topics, but there is hope woven in. I really cracked the door with how I feel on this one.'

J. Killen's songwriting pulls from the classic country and the alt-country boom of the late 1990s/early 2000s, mixing traditional sounds such as teardrop pedal steel, folksy acoustic guitars, and a sparse rhythm section with personal lyrics set in modern times. Previously, he released the barnburner of a debut album, Goin' It Alone.

The muddy waters of American music course through J. Killen's veins. His dad played in a country band and he was raised on Hank Williams , Bob Wills , vintage Gretsch and Fender guitars. In this environment, J. Killen stumbled into the blues as a budding musician but soon found his way back to country.

Depression Dollars is a focused record with a very intentional sonic palette of either acoustic or electric guitar, bass, drums, pedal steel, keys, and fiddle. It was thoughtfully orchestrated to be performed live. The album was recorded during a gloomy Portland, Oregon winter at Red Rockets Glare studios, and it was produced by Raymond Richards and Luke Messimer. There is sort of a comfort in the bleakness on the album, conjuring the bittersweet intimacy of records such as Son Volt's Trace, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals' Cold Roses, and Wilco's Being There.

'During the recording, I was staying in a basement apartment. The skies were grey, it was so wet and cold, and I had no TV in my little place. The batch of songs we were recording were filled with mood. Raymond and Luke were quieter and it felt darker,' J. Killen recalls.

The single, White Light, is a harmony-laden roots-rocker with a seesawing riff and a wailing pedal steel cutting right through it. Topically, this is a song about a curve in the road. You think your life is going one way—defined by solitude and loneliness—and then you meet someone, and suddenly everything has changed. Or has it? 'I had felt pretty closed to the idea of new love, but for a brief moment I envisioned my life unfolding completely differently than I planned. No relationship came from that stranger, but a man can dream,' he says with a weary laugh. Even in this hope there is a sadness or resignation to his fate. J. Killen sings: So take my lonesome blues away/What a gift that would make/Even if it's for one day/I don't gotta be alone.

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Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/J-Killen-Releases-New-Single-White-Light-From-DEPRESSION-DOLLARS-20260918)._