Milwaukee singer-songwriter JP Gorman steps into the long shadows of the folk tradition with his latest release, “Oblivion” — a record that trades the city’s punk grit and hip hop hustle for fingerpicked introspection and the kind of plainspoken storytelling that earns its keep one verse at a time.

Where so much of Milwaukee’s underground tends to plug in and crank up, Gorman goes the other direction. “Oblivion” leans into the quiet, letting acoustic guitar, weathered vocal phrasing, and lyrical patience do the heavy lifting. It’s a folk record in the truest sense: songs built for headphones, back porches, and slow drives down Kinnickinnic at dusk.

There’s a tongue-in-cheek bravery to titling a folk album “Oblivion” in 2026 — a genre that’s been pronounced dead more times than vinyl — but Gorman makes the case that the form still has plenty to say. The songs feel lived-in rather than labored over, and the production keeps things refreshingly uncluttered. No flashy overdubs, no algorithmic gloss. Just songs.

Stream “Oblivion” in full over on Bandcamp and support the artist directly: https://jpgorman.bandcamp.com/album/oblivion

Hit play, sit still for a minute, and let the record do its work.