It starts out with a simple snare shuffle and some muted horns, and that vocal weaves in like a Whiskeytown Ryan Adams. The added vocals really help to accentuate the pre-chorus and the hook is short but poignant. The relationship between the guitar, the vocals, and the horns are what propel this forward.

Augustus James, with his single The Hardest Part, gives us something that could almost be a jazz ditty by Paul Simon, with the way he expounds on the small details of life and creates a narrative of personal memories that feels universal. It's just he does it with less jazz and more country. Hence, modern Americana.

Augustus James is a singer and songwriter based in Washington, D.C., formerly of Saint James and the Whiskey Fires.