Evan Honer Broadens His Sound on Everything I Wanted

**Evan Honer Everything I Wanted Album Cover**

Evan Honer’s Everything I Wanted opens with the grit of a garage-built studio and the shine of careful production, an album that manages to feel both intimate and expansive. Across 13 songs, the Arizona-born, Nashville-based songwriter stretches beyond the Americana roots that first put him on the map, leaning into indie and alternative-pop textures without losing the plainspoken honesty that made his writing connect in the first place. Strings, horns, and pedal steel add depth around the edges, but it’s Honer’s voice—direct, unguarded, and often cutting—that holds the center.

We caught Honer earlier this year at Hinterland Music Festival, where his set moved from hushed melancholy to a joyful singalong of “IDK Shit About Cars.” That performance stuck with us because of its ability to balance weight and wry humor, drawing the crowd into songs that were as contemplative as they were communal. Everything I Wanted feels like an extension of that same energy. Recorded in a Nashville-area garage he built himself with producers Garrett Hall and Shane Travis, and rounded out by close collaborators from his Cloverdale circle, the album carries the restless spirit of life on the road while managing to pin down the electricity of a live show. For us, as a blog that often gravitates toward the charge of live music, it’s no small feat when that spirit makes it onto tape. Everything I Wanted proves Honer can.

Evan Honer performing at Hinterland Music Festival 2025 — **Evan Honer at Hinterland Music Festival**

The title track surges with crashing guitars and a cathartic release that mirrors the energy of his shows, while “Maybe For Once” stretches into an extended instrumental section that brings improvisational feel into the studio. “Lose A Friend” hints at where Honer might head next, expanding his sound while keeping one foot in the storytelling that grounds his work. Other singles, including “Curtain” and “Waiting Room,” offer a quieter counterbalance, pulling listeners into the reflective corners of the album. The sequencing moves naturally between those highs and lows, giving the record a shape that feels both intentional and lived-in.

For a project born in a homemade space, Everything I Wanted holds together with remarkable clarity. It’s also a contrast to Fighting For, which was pieced together in borrowed rooms during his first national tours. Here, the stability of a home base results in an album that’s cohesive without being predictable, as Honer steps into a fuller sound without losing the honesty that made his songs connect.

With more than 500 million streams already behind him and an audience that grows with every tour stop, Honer has moved well beyond the breakout stage. Everything I Wanted channels the spark of his live shows into the studio, carrying the same emotional weight that fills a quiet theater, a crowded club, or a festival field singing in unison.

* Featured image on social media and blog homepage by Harrison Hargrave