The Wandering Lake is one of those acts that can do so much with so little. Brian Kupillas is merely a single man, alone in the universe! Exploring life! But this hopeless romantic and wanderer tends to make the most of his talents by layering folk sounds, experimenting with playful textures, and vocal harmonies.

These are all in the forefront on the easy-going From James’ Garden, an autumn album he released just in time for a short little winter tour. The jaunt will take him across the South and in the Midwest.

“Field Notes (Vibrations on a Theme)” starts off the album with all those distorted and echoey noises we’ve seen Wandering Lake perform live, a perfect precursor for the aimless and unsure winter months. The easy-going “Seven Sisters” is enhanced by a beautiful, harmonizing chorus at the end. “When Thinking Long” is the type of song that will give you chills not just because of the eerie and sustained vocals, but because of a never-ending series of distortion that leaves the listener a little astray. If there was a song for getting lost in the woods, this would be it. “I Think I’ll Take A Walk” is nothing but a mere escape from reality, an exploration of the soul and mind, until he finds “Sanctuary” on the next track.

From James’ Garden is an album that intentionally leaves the listen disoriented as we head into the unsure winter months. The only guiding lights are Kupillas’ vocals and beautiful guitar melodies. The Wandering Lake’s previous work had such a laid-back game going on. He sang about swimming holes, beautiful skies, whatever came to the mind of a lake-bum. But this record exemplifies the maturity one experiences during misguided self-reflection. You know you’ll come out just fine (and perhaps even stronger in the end), but the journey is rough. From James’ Garden is the sherpa that will help guide you through the rugged terrain and lift your spirits until the Spring.

You can find The Wandering Lake’s tour dates over on the bandcamp page.