When ‘A Jackal’s Wedding’ opens with a peal of wedding bells, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a concept record. What follows, though, is closer to the loose stream-of-consciousness writing we’ve come to know and love from Westerman.
Amid this flow of ideas, Agnus Dei stands out for its Jeff Buckley-esque vocals soaring over a pared-back, almost Sigur Rós-like arrangement.
But, despite achievements such as this one, the unfocused nature of the singer-songwriter’s third album, both on a macro level, in the sense of trying to parse its lyrical and instrumental through-lines, and on a micro level, where songs often lean into loose, non-traditional structures, can be unsatisfying; annoying, even.
Tracks such as About Leaving, where the line, “I want a piece of the action / Don’t want to be honest / about leaving,” is layered over one of the record’s catchier hooks, never quite reach the emotional or musical payoff they seem to promise.
But, then again, if you wanted Westerman’s standout vocals on top of more conventional songwriting, you might have pressed play on a Sam Fender LP instead. There’s a lot to like as the songs drift and blur together and, while ‘A Jackal’s Wedding’ may not tie all its ideas together, its restless searching feels deeply human.
Westerman Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sun February 15 2026 - DUBLIN Opium
Wed February 18 2026 - LONDON Village Underground
Thu February 19 2026 - MANCHESTER Halle at St Michael's
Fri February 20 2026 - BRISTOL Bristol Beacon - Lantern Hall
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