Pete Yorn has a very special voice and musical talent, as he plays most of his own instrumentation, this is recognizable to anyone after listening to anything he has released. Yorn’s debut album musicforthemorningafter perfectly encapsulates the sound of early 2000’s music, and he carries this same sound in his most recent album The Hard Way.

People have described certain music as needing to be injected into one’s body, “The Hard Way” is no doubt a song that fits into this category. Yorn has an extremely calming voice melting in with the humming in the background of this song.

“Real Good Love” has captivating guitar picking and increasing instrumentation that picks up along with Yorn’s voice as the song goes along. This song has a sweet sense as Yorn sings about wanting to stay in the good love that he has found.

With a mixture of a folk sound and string ensemble “Different Roads” is truly taking its title to heart and blending two sounds together gracefully in more than just its lyrics. This song has a heartbreaking message about missing someone so much and knowing that there was more to give. This message conveys that there is something always connecting the people — “I hope you know you’re always on my mind / When you’re alone do you think of me?”

Deep drum beats and bass lines carry “It’s Alright” to a layer underneath the rest. Yorn is giving everything to the bridge in this song screaming without actually screaming. He wishes that everything that went wrong would change to what they thought it was at the time. “Feels like everything was perfect an illusion we both know.”

Bringing almost a magical sound “Someday Someday” has a production that soars with bright elements and layers. The harmonies mixed with snapping and strings amplify this energy.

Pete Yorn has a special way to incorporate different styles of music into a song, and he demonstrates this greatly in The Hard Way, which is through and through a fantastic album. Yorn keeps a sense of calm yet each song has exciting new elements and stories.