I’ll admit that I’ve had a hard time with Americana for the last several years. After Bright Eyes, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and the like sent me deep into my own folksy singer-songwriter phase in college, the deluge of Stop&Holler copycats flushed my system. Especially after getting into Krautrock, post-punk, post rock, metal, and various other less middle-of-the-road scenes, it felt like the limited frameworks of traditional singer-songwriter music didn’t have much to offer my limited attention.

But every once in a while, I’ll come upon a really great songwriter that makes me remember what the appeal of stripped sonic palettes and subdued performances were in the first place. Case in point, Jack M. Senff, who spent years playing in various loud and exciting projects before settling into his most natural form.

This is the sixth release from Jack Senff in seven years (between his given name and the prior alias Boy Rex). You might think that at such a breakneck pace, he might run out of breath or lose his footing somewhere. But somehow, on Low Spirit, he sounds as vibrant and sure-footed as ever. While it definitely lives in a folksy Americana, the indie rock sensibilities he’s always carried feel a little more present than the previous two releases, as if he’s learned to let the seemingly incongruent tendencies of his writing live at peace with one another. The influence of Ben Gibbard and Conor Oberst sit nicely at the table with Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, and James Taylor.

The result is an album that feels timeless. The eleven tracks revel in 70s folk rock archetypes with an authenticity that feels earned. Lap steels, pianos, organs, dulcimers, banjos, and other Appalachian flavors add a tasty amount of seasoning, but they’re never the main course. That would be Jack’s earnest and clever songwriting, wherein he continues his journey of self-discovery through the hazards of a world that seems more complicated every day. But as personal as these songs are, there’s a universality to the feelings he expresses—a bond over our mutual struggles, however different the details might be.

But perhaps the most impressive is just how effortless it all sounds. His is a deft craftsmanship, carefully placing metaphors and anecdotes against clever arrangements, but you’d never guess how precarious it is by the ease he demonstrates. And whether it truly does come that easily to him or if he’s an expert editor, the end result is one more bit of brilliant songwriting from one of the best talents in the DIY scene today.