With a classicist's ear for ruminative acoustic confessionals, but with a modernized mid-fi aesthetic, "I Hope This Finds You Well" is Four Eyes most mature release to date, full of astute observations and espousing an understated clarity. It appears Erin Lovett -- after retiring Jay-Z style with her last collection of work, 2019's "I'd Rather Be Ghost Hunting" -- has configured yet another novel approach to her own brand of skeletal, organic bedroom pop.

".... I'll make a mental note/to leave the way I came."

Erin Lovett a.k.a. FOUR EYES has spent about a decade now perfecting a succinct, writerly brand of canonical folk with a skewed lyrical perspective and minimalist approach. When MBR first arrived in Athens, she was someone a lot of us looked up to: though just a few years older, Erin had real bandmates in real touring bands, her songs had killer hooks and absolutely nothing getting in the way of them.

Lovett's song titles often take something subversively humorous - "Everyone's Got Acid In Their Freezer" jumps out of the tracklist at first glance - and infuses that concept with the quiet tragedy of realism. Even love songs like "Oh No" -- reminiscent of Lovett's work as Kissing Booth with co-writer ((and frequent collaborator/arranger on IHTFYW)) Patrick Brick -- emanate a soothing sort of melancholy that provide an often-juxtaposed backdrop for the varying perspectives & themes of common humanity explored through the album's 9 tracks.

Early highlight "Coin Trick" slowly grows from a contemplative singer-songwriter rumination into a full-band 70's AM radio groove. It's probably the most fleshed-out Four Eyes has sounded since 2016's "Our Insides" ((surely a minor Athens classic, right?)) But whereas early Four Eyes dealt more in realms of twee and indie, Lovett & Brick's arrangement approach to IHTFYW skews more towards the spacious, contemplative soul-baring of modern cult favorites like Weyes Blood, or the Frank Ocean songs where Alex G pops up to play guitar. It all still reads as "folk", but the tonal palette is more genuinely Appalachian, or even Celtic, than anything twangy or reedy. Four Eyes is back, and perhaps better than ever!