With sparse, often acoustic, instrumentation, and intimate meditations on loss and faith in better days, Tristan Bushman’s new EP The Way Things are Going proves that the future of thoughtful, rootsy singer-songwriter pop is in ideal hands. Since arriving in Nashville in 2018, Bushman has generated expectations that only soar higher and higher. Recorded over a week at Sean McConnell’s Silent Desert Studio, The Way Things are Going satisfies that lofty anticipation. Line by line, song by song, Bushman proves that the most timeless beauty is never found in smoke and mirrors, but in unobstructed reflection. Bushman lets an easy honesty guide everything he does. His voice is pure and powerful––never in need of tricks or striving. His writing is smart and vulnerable, never shying away from hard truths. “The whole album is about a really tough breakup that I went through,” Bushman says. “These songs––many of them were almost a way of reassuring myself. It feels sad, but it’s hopeful, too.”