The music of Ben Seretan has always been characterized by a wistfully classic energy, and with the release of “Power Zone,” his new single precluding his first LP in four years, it feels like the return of an old friend. This tender energy comes in large part from Seretan’s vox, which waver and glide, hovering just above the track’s nostalgia-inducing slide guitars and roots-rock rhythmic progression. “You will always be hungry for something you can’t hold,” he croons, his voice evocative of Neil Young’s equally ghostlike tenor, fading into the background as sax lines and noodling riffs fill up the space. It’s these various easygoing components that make Seretan’s initial offering off Youth Pastoral indicative of his old soul approach to songwriting, a craft that will spring to life at his record release show on February 28th at Union Pool — until then, stream "Power Zone" below. —Connor Beckett McInerney
