In a just world, the name Ryan Hamilton would be one of those dropped into musical conversations often, but over the years, the US singer-songwriter has had to settle for achieving a Marshall Crenshaw-like cult status. Whether as a solo performer or as frontman of the Harlequin Ghosts, of course, he’ll be more than familiar to fans of retro sounding college rock, power pop and indie infused country rock.

The multi-talented songwriter has dabbled with a number of different rock and pop styles over the years, usually with an equal amount of quality control. When it comes to something of high quality, this track – coupled with a really well known cover on its b-side – is certainly no exception.

Although a lot of Ryan’s demos slated for his 2026 album were, in his own words “taken apart and put back together by [producer] Steve Van Zandt, leading to co-writes”, ‘The Come To Jesus Moment’ supposedly came out pretty much fully formed. That’s not to say it sounds demo-like or in any way unfinished; as performances go, it sounds confident. Van Zandt’s studio hand brings out the best in a jagged guitar sound, and although a punchy and very 90s inspired riff and rousing hook come more from the stock influences from Hamilton’s past work, everything works almost effortlessly. The rousing riff and curling vocals feel like a massive throwback to peak Uncle Tupelo, blending punchy college rock riffs with a country-esque twang, while an equally enthused middle eight leans into more of a power pop coolness with the utmost ease. With a sarcastic tone meeting with a massively friendly melody, this is peak Ryan Hamilton – the kind of track you’ll hear two or three times and then really take to heart. Whether you’re already a fan or approaching Hamilton for the first time here, this recording has an energy and freshness that really works.

‘Jesus’ might not have been rebuilt in quite the same way as the rest of the album material, but the exclusive b-side here could definitely be accused of being massively reworked. It’s been reimagined to the point of feeling almost unrecognisable, except for part of the vocal melody which gives the source material away. Taking Billy Joel’s classic ‘You May Be Right’, Hamilton removes the ringing guitar lines and bouncing bass, and replaces the musical muscle with a mechanical sounding drum program, and strips the music down to some slowly approached, yet sizeable piano chords on the opening verse, leaving his vocal to do all of the heavy lifting. For fans of the original track, this will certainly be disarming. Luckily, the chorus makes up for any uncertainty, by introducing a chunky sounding yet still ringing guitar, a wall of vocals and a massive drum sound, resulting in something that could almost pass for something self-penned and found deeply within Hamilton’s own catalogue. As covers go, it’s definitely an opinion-splitter, but it’s always great to hear Billy’s ‘Glass Houses’ LP getting some love.

Both of these recordings are likely to be well received by Hamilton’s supporters. Between an almost flawless lead track and an inspired choice of cover, this release supplies an interesting one-two punch that should be accessible enough for both the dyed in the wool fan and the casual listener. It also makes a great companion to the Wicked Cool Records’ 7” from Donnie Vie which was released almost in tandem. As far as previews for a new record are concerned, this is excellent.

February 2026