Album Review: Greg Weeks – If the Sun Dies

When the 00s were dominated by stomp-clap-hey indie folk, Greg Weeks and Espers looked to different vistas to reach audiences through a folk medium.

The incorporation of reinvigorated psychedelia and organic drone aspects that Espers brought to folk music helped establish a new sound within the genre, one whose influence resonated well beyond their Philadelphia hometown.

That was then, and this is now, and Weeks has returned to making music after the financial crisis of 2008 brought about some major life changes. Here we are, though, in 2026, and Weeks has returned with an album that fans of Espers will love but doesn’t always wrap itself around their distinctive sound, but its influence lingers.

Tail Lights Burn the Hillside Red bears the hallmarks of 70s folk, with emotionally exposed vocals finding comfort in the embrace of an acoustic guitar. Even as the lyrics remind you of Tim Buckley and Nick Drake, fragile and personal, Weeks offers filigrees of psychedelia that give the track an unearthly quality. And I’m a sucker for a melody that has echoes of the dirty drama of Brel, which can be heard here and elsewhere on the album.

The notion of place, and the journey in both a literal and figurative sense, occurs more than once, but on The Heathen Heart, it’s at its most vivid, as well as being one of the few tracks that you could easily imagine setting comfortably within the Espers back catalogue.

It feels unfair to single out particular songs on the album, but the homely tones of Ridley Street and its glimpses into life on the road are incredibly affecting, and the way the title track, If the Sun Dies, has much of the sunshine and analysis of the Laurel Canyon scene.

As focused as the album is on vocals and acoustic guitar, the sharp-eared will pick up on varying roles for the Hammond organ, Mellotron, Mini-Moog, and electric guitar, their analogue warmth having a crisp and quietly assertive presence that works well in stereo.

Greg Weeks has already established his place as a pivotal figure in America’s underground folk scene, and not only will the progression and sheer craftsmanship of If the Sun Dies cement that, but it’s also certain to gain him wider acclaim.

If The Sun Dies is released on the 23^rd of January – it can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp in vinyl and digital formats. For streaming options and album news, be sure to follow Greg Weeks on Instagram