Ask Austin Jenckes about his unwavering need to write and perform music, and as he pauses to gather his thoughts, you can practically see a montage of the country singer-songwriter’s life playing before him: a childhood spent watching his father play guitar in the park; high school talent shows; dingy bar gigs; televised singing competitions; publishing deals; Nashville writing rooms; a forthcoming debut album.

“But at the root, it’s always been me trying to move somebody enough emotionally to pay attention to what I’m singing about,” Austin says. “Music’s always been a way for me to observe and process the world around me.”

Melody. Message. That moment in a song when a listener sees his or her life reflected back at them like a mirror—Austin lives in service of the song, and it’s why he spends every day tirelessly perfecting his craft. The endlessly humble Austin will tell you, “I’m just a guy with a guitar singing songs.” However, his work tells a far more nuanced tale. To hear Jenckes perform is to hear the roots of country music brought into the modern age: all soul and blues and that brand of lyrical honesty and palpable emotion that’s long defined the genre’s most celebrated artists. From the serene send-off “In My Head” to the rearview reflection “Fat Kid,” Austin’s best songs are direct dispatches from the never easy but unquestionably rich life he’s lived.