Singer-songwriter claire my flair — yes, the one with that wild, twangy vibrato you’ll never forget once you hear it — returns with her sophomore EP, Through the Worst Years and the Opposite. It’s a collection of songs penned by a hopeless romantic who, despite love’s wild oscillations, somehow never loses hope. Call it a love letter to love and heartbreak. Or think of it as a band-aid with hand-drawn ponies, flowers, and butterflies. The box reads: this one is for unrelenting lovers. It doesn’t have to make sense. Actually, it doesn’t. It can’t. It’s a state of mind. An attitude toward life. You either have it, or you don’t.

So, what about the music? Well, it’s hella generous with the butter — melting and sliding over a stack of steaming pancakes chock-full of blueberries, already sticky with locally sourced maple syrup. Or you know that feeling when late-morning sun lands on the back of your neck? It’s that — warm and gentle — cascades of plucked acoustic guitar, touches of lap and pedal steel, and breezy synths. By the way, those blueberries? They’re the rich taste of melancholy that’s always there — but never too much. This is an indie-folk sound that’s both deeply rooted — really, really earthy — and completely of our times.