Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

posted in: Artist Features • Rock

Zach Nichols grew up in Houston, learning how to play piano and guitar while cutting his teeth on the blues swagger of legends like Stevie Ray Vaughn and John Lee Hooker. At least that’s what his bio tells us. What it doesn’t say, but what we can probably assume, is that he got his heart broken more than once along the way. This is great news for you, however, because the result is Bright Eyes, a record featuring snapshots of heartache as captured in soft focus. Nichols’ languorous voice isn’t wrought with despair; it simply sounds resigned. On Dust in June he slow waltzes around his wounds with acoustic guitars and dusty percussion. Moving Up and the title track follow suit ” lonesome retrospectives with unobtrusive string and piano arrangements that give Nichols time and space with his thoughts. His music is ideal for cinematic montages: the lovelorn hero meanders through the city, haunted by images of happier times. When you’re mired in nostalgia, you tend to move slowly. The upside of Nichols’ relationships running out of steam is that we get to spend more time with each story.