In 2020, after her debut solo album was sunk by the pandemic, composer/songwriter Caitlin Sherman found solace in a musical and romantic connection with Brent Amaker, baritone-voiced frontman for the country-western group Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. This unlikely collaboration yielded Caitlin and Brent, a lushly alluring album that roils with the tumult and joy of finding new love in a time of turmoil. As rooted in the musical moods of 1965 as 2025, the record’s pleasures include velvety arrangements and swooning strings, as well as the chemistry between Sherman’s romantic croon and Amaker’s weathered drawl.

As their real-life relationship bloomed, the two musicians funneled their infatuation and romantic angst into songs that chronicled their feelings for each other and explored a retro style inspired by 1960s French pop. Throughout Caitlin and Brent, love is mingled with a sense of doom, but on stunning tracks like “Mirage” and “Victimless Crime,” the two artists plunge into the unknown and craft an elegant, ever-shifting blend of styles.