Influentially speaking, Kearney reconnected with some of his earlier favorites. He culled inspiration from Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and old U2. His goal, he says, was to create something classic and refined, with a lot of heart but not a lot of clutter. “I’m trying to say more with fewer words on this record,” he explains.

So, what about the pressure to avoid a sophomore slump? “With my first record, I was literally learning how to write as I was finishing the album. At that point, I’d maybe written five more songs in my life than were on the album,” Kearney says. “The first album very much had a lot to do with being on the run. This record feels a little bit more like sticking it out. Sometimes, it’s easy to hit the road and leave, and sometimes, it’s challenging to stick around, and I feel like this record is more about sticking around.”

Sticking around is something Kearney is used to, having remained in Nashville for the better part of a decade. When he talks about his adopted hometown, it’s impossible not to sense the pride he has for the city and the gratefulness he has to have found a place where he feels at home.

“There’s this heritage in Nashville that I love, where even great artists and writers will invite the community and other people into the process, and I feel like I’ve learned from that,” he says. “Being a Northwest kid, the South always seemed kind of odd -- you pictured some Flannery O’Connor scene. But moving here, slowly but surely, I’ve found my place.”