jj niceley - mystical country

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July 24, 2026– Nashville-based independent artist and poet-songwriter JJ Niceley announces her new EP Mystical Country, scheduled for a July 31 release. Marking a profound personal and artistic rebirth, this collection of songs serves as both a reflection of her roots and a bold step forward in her musical journey.

After years of writing, releasing albums, performing solo and with a band, going quiet and living on the land again, Niceley defines her current sound as “Mystical Country”. It describes the sound, the frequency, and the mythopoetic place she traverses in her work and life, a space that feels both grounded in rural reality and expansive enough to touch the ethereal.

Born on a dairy farm in East Tennessee at the end of a bygone era, Niceley’s artistry is undeniably shaped by the “out of time” childhood she experienced in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. Raised by a river, surrounded by family lineage, tall tales, and the haunting essence of mountain music, she possesses a lyrical voice and creates songs that operate outside the bounds of standard songwriting.

The first track on the EP, “Gold Dust Redux”, features Niceley's signature gentle, earthy acoustic guitar work and intimate vocal delivery. A reimagining of the song “Gold Dust” from her last album, Not Lost, this song takes on a new life with additional drum programming and banjo. The second track “Grove on the Hill” marks an evolution from her Americana folk roots through the incorporation of haunting synth elements punctuated by reflective lyricism. Maintaining the warm vulnerability of her past releases, Niceley demonstrates beautifully how to metamorphose through tragedy to create a work that is both nostalgic and refreshing.

Mystical Country arrives following a challenging, transformative time for the artist. While the project is a celebration of her creative return, it is also deeply personal, carrying the weight of significant loss. Niceley recently navigated the sudden passing of her youngest sister, Rachel, followed by the loss of her father–the very man who first taught her to play guitar–on the eve of the summer solstice in 2025. This EP stands as a testament to resilience, capturing the process of reordering your world in the wake of grief.

Produced by her partner in music and life Eric Davis, or Feathered Mason, and featuring contributions from Jason Goforth, Nat Smith, and Clint Mullican, Mystical Country is a collection that balances sorrow and light.

Track List: 

“Gold Dust Redux”: Reflecting on lost innocence and the brokenness of the natural world, the lyrics describe the “ghost of a road” that was already gone. Not a sad song, the true message lies in the reclamation of an eternally redeemable “gold dust”, turning pain into a shimmering, hopeful essence.

“Grove on the Hill”: Written in January 2026 after the unexpected deaths of her sister and father, Niceley felt compelled to alchemize her grief and search for meaning on her family’s farm. Her father was buried in the old cemetery on the same farm where he worked his entire life and passed away while working the fields, and this song was later recorded at their house on the land.

“Comes a Calling”: Arriving in her consciousness one night between sleeping and waking, this song represents Niceley’s songwriting philosophy: “In a nutshell, an idea comes to you, and then it's your job to translate it. That's the art you create. You can take credit for the translation, but not the original spark of idea– that comes from the Divine Source”.

“Mystical Country”: Originating from an autobiography she wrote in 2025, the term “Mystical Country” carries layers of meaning and serves more than one purpose in its definition. Capturing the depth of her grief and reclaiming her own mythology, Niceley considers this piece her proudest songwriting accomplishment to date.

“Goin Out There”: More of a meditation than a proclamation, this song thoughtfully concludes the EP. A somewhat prophetic examination, written just a couple weeks before her sister’s passing, the lyrics challenge a linear perception of time. Inspired by a desire to break free from “ever-expanding surveillance and dependence on the digital grid”, “Goin Out There” evokes a childlike wonder and carefree exploration of the natural world.

JJ Niceley remains a unique voice in the independent music scene, one who continues to “lift poetry off the page” to express what couldn’t be said in any other way.