Josh Ritter has always had a way of writing songs that feel bigger than music. They are full of characters, stories, and moments. His latest album, I Believe in You, My Honeydew, which was released earlier this month, shows him at the height of his craft. It is an album that feels both truly personal and wide enough to hold the weight of universal truths, cementing Ritter once again as one of the finest songwriters working today.
This is Ritter’s third album in as many years, following the acclaimed Spectral Lines in 2023 and Heaven, or Someplace as Nice in 2024. Rather than sounding like a rushed project a year out from his last album, Honeydew feels like the work of someone who has found a steady current of inspiration. The title itself hints at the heart of the record. “Honeydew” is his muse, an “invisible and blinding companion” that he began writing to directly. By doing so, he uncovered songs that are both personal and strangely universal. They are rooted in heavy reflection but lifted by hope.
The record balances acoustic intimacy with the power of a full band. Some tracks, like Truth is a Dimension (Both Invisible and Blinding), are stripped down to Ritter’s voice and guitar. It is a delicate song about stargazing and lost love that manages to sound as beautiful as the night sky itself. On the other end of the spectrum is Noah’s Children, which carries a bright Americana rock feel that recalls the best of Tom Petty. That mix of quiet introspection and raucous energy keeps the album alive and unpredictable from start to finish.
The highlights are striking. You Won’t Dig My Grave begins the album with a gospel-like choir, a bold way to open a record about belief and redemption. Noah’s Children brings warmth and resilience through its upbeat rhythm, even while grappling with themes of struggle. And The Throne, the closing track, is a confessional piece that feels almost Leonard Cohen-like in its weight. It names the heavy burdens of life but ends with a simple promise of hope.
What makes Honeydew so powerful is Ritter’s gift for storytelling. He writes with a poet’s imagination, filling his songs with seekers, dreamers, and troubled souls. Each track feels like a story in its own right, but together they form a bigger picture of what it means to live with despair while still choosing to believe in something better.
I Believe in You, My Honeydew is more than just another strong record in Ritter’s catalog. It is a meditation on resilience and the stubborn spark of hope that keeps us going. The songs never shy away from darkness, but they refuse to leave us there. Instead, Ritter points us toward something brighter, and by the end of the album, you believe him.
Josh Ritter has delivered a work that is tender, thoughtful, and quietly transformative.
