A decidedly DIY project, Inland Years offer up material that's as warm and rich as anything we've heard from acts like Grandaddy, Tony Molina, and others in recent years. The newest release, Keep Your Eyes on the Road is full of simple, wonderfully-realized little nuggets of indie rock.
There's a bit of an Elliott Smith influence lurking in the deep grooves of "Alone", while other cuts here like the title track and "Better Off on My Own" sound like someone has been listening to Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh. Inland Years is all Ryan Daniels, and while the project is based in NYC, Daniels keeps this lively with a vaguely rustic feel. Fans of mid-Eighties R.E.M. and early Nineties Grant Lee Buffalo, to use two examples, would find purchase here in the Inland Years expanse. And a Billy Nicholls cover ("Come Again") reveals a bit more about possible influences on Daniels.
This is music that seems modest but which is really quite fully realized. The 14 songs here on Keep Your Eyes on the Road are all relatively brief, and obviously lo-fi, but the cuts please in a big way. And any reviewer worth their weight in reviews would likely reach for that Tony Molina comparison to place this material in context in 2025. Excellent and highly recommended.
Keep Your Eyes on the Road by Inland Years is out now.
[Photo: Inland Years]