Rock/Review No Lonesome - Am I What I'm Not?

No Lonesome is the DIY project of Chicago-based musician and producer Jeb Backe. Their mixed-fidelity sound shows a forward-thinking ear while flexing a studied understanding of what has come before. Backe is an ongoing collaborator with musicians Smushie, Astrachan, and Berta Bigtoe in the Chicago music scene.

With “Am I What I’m Not?,” No Lonesome takes a bold stride forward, sharpening their creative voice while expanding the emotional and sonic palette that has defined their rise as an artist to watch. This EP feels like a breakthrough—not because it abandons what makes No Lonesome compelling, but because it refines it, giving their sound more urgency, immediacy, and weight.

Where earlier releases leaned into atmospheric introspection, this new chapter introduces a punchier, more rhythm-driven approach. The percussion is purposeful and propulsive, grounding the songs in a heartbeat-like momentum that mirrors the EP’s thematic duality: the tug-of-war between inner truth and external expectation. No Lonesome’s vocals, unwavering and expressive, cut through with more confidence than ever before—weathered, searching, and unflinchingly direct.

Lyrically, “Am I What I’m Not?” is rooted in self-investigation, but it doesn’t stay earthbound. The EP arcs outward from intimate, almost whispered reflection to something unbound and cosmic. These tracks seem to ask: What does it mean to be authentic in a world that constantly shapes, pressures, and distorts us? And when we finally break free, what vastness waits on the other side?

The production supports this journey beautifully, weaving textured layers of guitar, subtle synths, and dynamic rhythms into a cohesive narrative. The result is an EP that’s as introspective as it is expansive, capable of being both a mirror and a horizon.

“Am I What I’m Not?” cements No Lonesome’s evolution—an ambitious, resonant collection that proves their trajectory is pointing skyward.