Aaron Mitchell - Fictional Lover

By Jess Klausing

Aaron Mitchell makes heartbreak sound like the best story at the bar, the kind where the teller is laughing and wincing at the same time. The Boulder songwriter grew up in Ft. Lupton and sharpened his craft in Chicago. Fictional Lover carries both places: country at the root, with a rough, bluesy streak underneath.

The album lives in the gap between the love we imagine and the one we get. Parasocial crushes, idealized romance, and plain old loneliness all warp our expectations, and Mitchell meets each one with a shrug and a sting. The title track sets the terms with a catchy melody that’s quietly sad underneath. “Junk Drawer Blues” slows the pace and tells a breakup through the leftovers of a shared life. “I Miss You (But I Should Not)” runs on gritty guitar hooks and the tug-of-war of knowing better and missing someone anyway. “Lonliness is Bliss” turns solitude into breathing room, atmospheric and introspective. Then “Gone Too Long” gets restless, arguing that if being away has left you feeling alone, the cure is to keep moving.

The band knows when to stay out of the way. Ryan Joseph Anderson’s lead guitar and backing vocals, Adam Gardner’s bass and keys, and Gerald Dowd’s drums leave plenty of room for Mitchell’s weathered voice. Patrick Lyons’ pedal steel and Jared Rabin’s mandolin and fiddle appear on only a few tracks, so they read as seasoning rather than decoration.

What holds it together is the lack of pretense. Instead of overproduced gloss, Mitchell lets his songwriting and guitar work carry the weight, and that’s why the jokes land and the sad parts hurt.

Best for: Fans of alt-country, indie folk, and singer songwriters who like their heartache with a wink. 

Recommended Tracks: “Fictional Lover,” “Junk Drawer Blues,” “I Miss You (But I Should Not),” “Gone Too Long”

Support Aaron Mitchell on Bandcamp.