John Moreland

After a decade of critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase, Americana singer-songwriter John Moreland took a hard left turn. First came 2022’s Birds in the Ceiling—a bold, folk-electronica departure exploring modern alienation. Then, he unplugged entirely: no shows for a year, no smartphone for six months. “I needed to not do anything for a while and just process,” he said.

The result is Visitor (2024), a raw, intimate folk-rock album recorded solo at home in just ten days. It marks a return to the stripped-down spirit of his early records (In The Throes, High On Tulsa Heat), but with the wisdom of someone who's stepped off the digital hamster wheel.

The songs chronicle Moreland’s journey through burnout, doomscrolling, and disconnection toward clarity and creative renewal. Tracks like “The Future Is Coming Fast” and “No Time” wrestle with the noise of modern life, while instrumentals recorded on late-night drives add haunting texture. The standout lyric—“Some folks say, and some folks know”—captures his ethos: in a world full of noise, seek truth.

Visitor is more than a comeback—it's a quiet manifesto. By simplifying his life, Moreland rediscovered his muse. And in doing so, he offers a roadmap for all of us to tune out the chaos, feel deeply, and maybe even heal.

You may also like the following events from The United Theatre:

• Next month, 29th May, 07:30 pm, Joan Osborne presents DYLANOLOGY LIVE w/ Special Guests in Westerly
• Next month, 31st May, 08:00 pm, Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins in Westerly

Also check out other Music events in Westerly.