Grief has a way of warping everything around you. Places that once felt familiar feel unrecognizable, songs take on new meaning, and time stops making sense. Some days drag, others disappear.
Head In The Sand by Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears exists in that in-between space, where loss and healing blur together, never quite landing on one or the other.
Sean Thompson has been a steady presence in Nashville’s music scene, playing guitar for artists like Erin Rae, Teddy & The Roughriders, and Spencer Cullum. But his own work carries a different energy—looser, more personal, always searching.
Head In The Sand comes from a place of deep upheaval. In a short period, Thompson lost his mother, his dog, and his relationship. But instead of closing himself off, he turned to music, creating a record that holds space for both heartbreak and healing.
His songwriting has an easy, unforced quality, as if he’s working through things in real-time rather than arriving with neat resolutions. The production reflects that looseness, too—warm and unpolished in the best way, with arrangements that feel open-ended, instruments wandering and weaving together like a conversation that never quite finishes.
The whole album has the lived-in feel of a well-loved LP, the kind that sounds better with a little wear.
The title track, “Head In The Sand,” opens with a blunt, self-aware confession: “I’m just too damn lazy to understand.” It’s the kind of half-joking, half-true thought you have when you know you should be processing something but can’t bring yourself to do it yet.
The song drifts along on pedal steel and a laid-back shuffle, sounding lighthearted even as Thompson wrestles with the weight of avoidance.
“Storm’s Comin’ Tonight” is the album’s most literal and metaphorical warning sign. He sings, “The anticipation is making me sick,” capturing that uneasy feeling of knowing change is coming but being powerless to stop it.
The song plays out like watching storm clouds roll in. You can feel the shift in the air, but all you can do is wait for the inevitable. The track’s subtle layering—distant harmonies, lightly reverbed guitar—mirrors that slow, creeping build of dread.
My favorite is “Roll On Buddy,” a tribute to Thompson’s dog, whom he said goodbye to just days before writing the song. It carries that raw, still-in-the-thick-of-it ache, but there’s a warmth, too. A understanding that love doesn’t disappear, even when the ones we love do.
Losing a pet is a particular kind of grief that sneaks up on you in small, everyday moments, in the routines you didn’t realize you would miss. He captures that feeling with bittersweet honesty: “When I scatter your ashes at the park / I know you’re going home once more.”
The song is upbeat and flows, creating a sense of motion—grief that moves forward instead of remaining stuck. While listening, a montage played in my head of all the dogs I’ve loved and lost. But instead of crying, I found myself smiling, grateful for the time I got with them, even if it always feels cruelly short.
That’s one of the album’s defining strengths: even when the lyrics ache, the music feels familiar and comforting, like an old record spinning in the background of a long road trip.
Thompson blends classic country with a ‘70s feel—rich harmonies, twangy pedal steel, and a relaxed, open-air production style that sounds like it could have come from a lost Laurel Canyon session.
By the time we reach “Song from the Heart,” the album’s closer, there’s a quiet sense of resolution—not an ending, exactly, but an understanding.
“I just wanna sing from the heart,” Thompson states plainly, like he’s stripped everything else away and landed on the only truth that matters. It’s not about tying things up neatly—it’s about finding a way to keep going, even when you don’t have all the answers.
Head In The Sand isn’t just about loss—it’s about what comes after, about how time doesn’t stop for grief, even when you want it to. It’s about the moments of clarity that come in between the heavier ones; the way healing isn’t linear but happens in small, unexpected ways.
Thompson doesn’t try to make sense of it all—he just lets it unfold, turning his most painful moments into something expansive, something that stretches out like an open road.
For fans of Gram Parsons, Jerry Garcia Band, or Wilco at their most exploratory, Head In The Sand is an album worth spending time with.
It’s the kind of record that rewards repeat listens, revealing new layers with every spin. And if you’re tapped into the Nashville scene—or just appreciate music that feels unfiltered and real—this is one you won’t want to miss!
Check out Head In The Sand by Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears on Bandcamp here.
Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears: Bandcamp | Instagram | Official Website
This review was written by Charlotte Woska. Charlotte is a recent college graduate with a passion for music and writing. While new to the world of reviews, her love for music has been a lifelong journey. Through her work, she aims to shine a light on emerging artists and convey the impact music can have.
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