Lenny Kaye – ‘Goin’ Local’ album review: the soundtrack of experience
Writing a solo album isn’t for everyone. In fact, there are plenty of musicians who exist as great musicians in the shadows, laying down parts for the greater good of someone else’s name and going no further. For half a century, Lenny Kaye filled that role, releasing the odd single and EP but most notably playing for Patti Smith, who was the gracious benefactor of his ideas for the best part of her career. But now, in the twilight of his own, Kaye has finally released an entire project under his own steam.
The Skinny: The entire premise of a debut album is reframed by Kaye, who really isn’t trying to score any cultural points with it but rather has faith in the musical experience he has accrued over the years and lays it down on something uniquely his. So it’s less groundbreaking and more reassuring, for the record is a distilled representation of his guitar playing and songwriting, which feels consistent throughout Goin’ Local.
There’s a timelessness to the entire record. The sort that gives strength to the phrase “rock and roll will never die”. It’s apparent from the opening riff of the title track, which crunches Kaye into view with swaggering force and menaces through the verse arrangements that maybe hint towards an odyssey of psychedelia ahead.
But it alleviates and allows a folkier disposition to vignette the sonic picture, and therein lies the timelessness. For the most part of the record, it feels stripped back, the sort of intimacy you would expect from a key guitarist in music history, one who has had time to reflect on the ever-changing state of the world with his trusted guitar clutched in hand.
“The songs are personal, written over a period of years, and I’ve kept them to myself,” he said. “I believe a song exists because there is a need for it to be written, to explain the dynamics of the human relationship, to look at yourself as if in a mirror and get in touch with a deeper emotion, one that needs to be sung.”
As a sentiment, that feels palpable on the record. In fact, intimacy and patience feel like the motif. It’s abundantly clear that the acoustic guitar and its humble chord arrangements are the beating heart of every song, which allows extra tracks to be layered as and when the song feels ready.
But as heartwarming as this entire record is, that’s ultimately what limits it to a degree. Because so many of the songs have been ruminated on for long periods of time, it feels like there is never really a sonic thread that makes it a record of thematic weight. It’s a collection of accomplished songs from a guitarist who has perfected the art of forging a rock and roll career.
Standout Track: ‘A Friend Like You’
The Verdict: It’s a musical life bundled into a record, a time capsule from one of the great rock and roll contributors who has put his own name on a lifetime of learning. Each song individually exists with merit and, crucially, represents Lenny Kaye as a solo artist. But while it’s a beautiful debut to a twilight chapter of a career, it doesn’t entirely reinvent a career.
Release Date: July 17th, 2026 | Producer: Tony Shanahan | Label: Yep Roc
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