Following the critically praised Before You Turn Out the Lights, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Climer returns with Indiana, a deeply personal album rooted in memory, place, and storytelling. Drawing influence from a wide variety of artists, Indiana blends stark atmosphere with vivid narrative, capturing the complexities of Midwestern life through a series of intimate and often unsettling portraits.

The album’s origins were unexpectedly humble. Unable to immediately return to the studio due to financial constraints, Climer created a mock album cover inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and jokingly asked fans on social media whether he should make the record. The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Encouraged, Climer committed fully, writing ten songs centered on Indiana—its landscapes, history, and the experiences that shaped him.

What began as a spontaneous idea quickly became a focused creative surge. Nine of the album’s songs were written within a two-week period, though they reflect a lifetime of lived experience. “Castle on the Cumberland,” written prior to Before You Turn Out the Lights and set in Kentucky, was later added, while “Billy Graham’s Bible” was inspired by a documentary on Steve McQueen.

After demoing the material, Climer once again collaborated remotely with longtime producer Paul Mahern to develop the arrangements. In February 2026, Climer traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, to record vocals with Mahern at his studio. All songs were written and arranged by Jeremy Climer, with the exception of “Madge,” which was arranged by Mahern. Climer performed and recorded all instruments on the album.

The title track, “Indiana,” began as a piece of stream-of-consciousness writing composed while Climer was photographing Bean Blossom. It evolved into a song about reconciliation with his hometown—a place he once longed to escape, yet never stopped loving. “High Tops & Architecture” pays tribute to Columbus, Indiana, referencing its architectural legacy and its connection to Chuck Taylor, while tracks such as “Madge” and “Goodnight John Boy” revisit real-life crimes from Indiana’s past with restraint and gravity.

Other songs explore childhood (“Easter Morning”), faith and moral contradiction (“A Son of the Church of Christ Without Christ”), the passage of time (“Calendar Page”), and working-class nostalgia (“Be Kind, Rewind”). “Castle on the Cumberland” confronts rural poverty and systemic injustice, while “Fallen Angels” recounts a single, alcohol-fueled night from the summer of 1996.

Though Indiana began as an offhand joke, it emerged as one of Climer’s most focused and emotionally resonant works to date. The album stands as a meditation on memory, identity, and the stories we carry with us—proof that sometimes the most meaningful journeys begin by looking back home.