“Take my lonesome blues away, what a gift that would make,” J. Killen admits in “White Light,” a lyrically blinding moment that steeps its musical bones in impenetrable mental darkness. “Even if it’s for one day, I don’t gotta be alone.” The song operates as a driving thematic metronome across his 13-song sophomore album, Depression Dollars, out tomorrow. Killen kindly shares the record ahead of its street date, whisking the listener down a barren highway of isolation and terrible pain. “You tip the scale when you cut the string,” he laments in starkly lit piano ballad “Living Without You.” His raw honesty is effectively addicting, offering up nooks and crannies of deep, soul-stirring reflection.
“The songs on this album have been hard earned lessons for me,” he tells B-Sides & Badlands, noting two songs that he connected with most during the recording process—the gentle anecdote “Somewhere in Arizona” about depression and loneliness and the album’s crown jewel, “Time (Is A Arrow),” a metaphorical noose wrapped tightly around his neck. “Every dollar I make is a dollar I owe / I’ve run out of favors from people I know,” he drags his heart in the dirt behind him in the latter. “I’m feeling lonesome but don’t let it show, keep my head down, get back to work.” Percussion makes eerie echos of a tortured soul praying for death. He adds, “I’m getting eaten alive…”
Such visceral shock treatment signals an artist blossoming before your ears. Depression Dollars doesn’t only serve as a creative peak for Killen, but it also arrives as a Top 10 album of 2026. “I try to just be honest when I’m writing,” he says. “If I’ve managed to capture some honesty for myself and others, I’ve done what I set out to do.”
Pre-order Depression Dollars on BandCamp.
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