No Depression in Heaven asks how we respond to bad times. Written during country music’s most recent ascent in popularity, this poetry “LP” consists of ten “tracks” that each take up a rhythm, only to bend it out of shape.

Dwelling on whether it is best to look backward to a seemingly better past, longing for a way to make things great again, or to stare into the abyss of the future, gambling that entry into heaven will finally provide release from a weary life, No Depression in Heaven rejects both of these dangerous horizons. It chooses instead to remain resolutely in present uncertainty, addressing our latter-day anxiety through poetic improvisation, treating the text as a space of play and experimentation. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, both musical and poetic – and taking its title from a famous Carter Family song – No Depression in Heaven asks what it means to hold onto something toxic because of the comforts it affords, to daydream about days long past rather than gripping the reins of the present.

This is a book that pulls on its boots, tilts its hat, and brushes the dust off its Nudie suit before tipping language out of key.