The hardest song to write is often the one worth writing. Jared Fullerman says “Between Bricks” gave him more trouble than anything else on his upcoming album Ins, due May 1, and you can hear why. It’s the kind of track that wants to do more than one thing at once – start small, end somewhere else, and make the journey feel earned. The Ohio-based artist was deep in Grizzly Bear and Feels-era Animal Collective when the song came together, and those influences are present without being loud about it.
Musically, there is a lot of warmth in this song, and most of it comes from the bass, which contrasts super well with the chimey quality of the guitar strumming. All of it is held together by the touching vocal delivery that keeps you engaged with the song’s emotional core throughout. The way the layers build up slowly is masterful; it’s the kind of arrangement you would expect from a songwriter with much more experience, and that shows just how much Jared has evolved as an artist between the last release and this upcoming one.
“Between Bricks” is the second single off Ins and follows Fullerman’s 2023 debut, Albatross, which earned him a solid foothold in the indie blogosphere. He formerly recorded as jrdfllrmn and has since consolidated everything under his full name – a small move that signals someone thinking about where this is going long-term. A third single, “Smoke (I Blame),” lands April 30, the day before the album drops. With Ins sequenced as carefully as it apparently is, “Between Bricks” probably lands right where it needs to.
