After a tumultuous period, Kyle Rasche prefers to pause and reflect.

The singer-songwriter and guitarist ponders heartbreak and growth after experiencing many life changes on Take It Easy.

“These songs were born in a period,” said Rasche, who performs as Kyle Joe, about his latest indie-folk album.

“There was a lot of heartbreak, and there was a lot of really beautiful love, too. And then as the writing went on, I started leaning into more of the lessons I was learning along the way and trying to make the music represent those moments instead of just the heartbreak.”

In those vulnerable moments, Rasche rediscovers himself and his sense of purpose across seven tracks. Collectively, they demonstrate the resiliency that comes from weathering a divorce, loving yourself, and finding kindred spirits.

“I hope more than anything that people hear the hope,” said Rasche, who hails from Alto, a small town about 20 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. “It can get pretty dark … but there’s some light in there.”

On Take It Easy, Rasche explores those light and dark elements through honest lyrics, soft vocals, and emotive folk instrumentation.

“I think, that our job as songwriters, is to put something out that other people can grasp,” he said. “It’s not [just] about my story, but it might be about our [collective] experiences and set of circumstances.”

Sonically, he turned to Ypsilanti producer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Chris DuPont to evoke the album’s poignant vibe.

“I wasn’t in a place [where] I was going to make an album at all,” said Rasche, who’s previously released music under the moniker Chain of Lakes. “I was moving into a weird patio apartment in Grand Rapids. I was between jobs, it was a nightmare. And I met DuPont and he asked me how many songs I had finished.

“He encouraged me to bring songs that meant a lot to me and that I was emotionally tapped into. He wanted me to record the songs I was connected to and gave me a safe space to be connected to them vulnerably. It ended up being really beautiful, and I’m grateful to him for that.”

One of the songs to emerge from that recording session was “Michigan Man,” an upbeat anthem about finding identity and purpose in a geographic place.

Energized by thumping acoustic guitar and driving electric guitar, Rasche sings, “I am carved from the ice / Into a sacred hand / Hold me over your heart / I’m a Michigan man.”

“I really do love this land that I’ve called home; I was born here,” he said. “That song came out of that reflection of what it means to be of a place and to know it—to know what plants you can eat and appreciate your water sources and treat them well.”

After singing “Michigan Man” loud and proud, Rasche contemplates getting too personal with his songwriting craft on “Line of Work.”

Alongside cathartic electric guitar, he sings, “The shortcut to better is straight through the worst / We sing about heartache in my line of work / So they’re all bound to sound like some darkness to shroud / And I’ll remind you most songs I don’t dare sing out loud.”

“This was the first time in my life where I was going through a lot of shit and felt the need to protect people I love from my art,” Rasche said. “It’s not a good space to be [in] when you’re making things, so I made that song.”

Next, Rasche celebrates a shared camaraderie with other songwriters on “All My Friends Are Talented.” The uplifting track includes a collaboration and co-write with Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Spencer LaJoye.

Together, Rasche and LaJoye sing, “Why don’t we start with our full open hearts / And if both aren’t bleeding, we’re done / I confess I don’t trust you unless / We can bond on trauma and still say we’re both having fun.”

“It started as a joke about this craft, specifically songwriting, is so vulnerable already,” Rasche said. “When you meet other people that are somehow drawn to ask [other] people to shut up for an hour and listen to us sing about our feelings, you just sift through so much bullshit so fast that the friendships that I’ve forged in songwriting are all of my favorites.”

Finally, Rasche takes a breather from everyday life on the soothing title track, which includes a serene acoustic guitar.

He sings, “I came here to sit and take it easy / I came here to take it down a notch / There’s no wrong time for downtime / If it’s what your body wants / Take it easy.”

“It’s about stopping and noticing that you’re OK—like even right there—as you’re sitting listening to it,” Rasche said. “Your phone’s not on, everything’s OK. That’s a moment we can lean into if we choose to.”

Also the album’s closer, “Take It Easy” became an unexpected, yet memorable duet with Ypsilanti singer-songwriter Kylee Phillips, who’s DuPont’s musical partner and fiancée.

“I recorded that song as I wrote it, much like the way the first verse sounds all the way through,” Rasche said. “And then Chris sent that to me as a duet with Kylee, and he did not tell me he was doing that. I had no idea it was going to be a duet, it wasn’t written for that. And then he sent me the mix with Kylee in it, and it was one of the greatest moments of my life and music.”

A prolific songwriter, Rasche sent DuPont a pile of tracks to consider for the album. Some of those tracks had been penned solely by Rasche while two others had been co-written with Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Micah McLaughlin.

“[Chris DuPont] said, ‘Send me 15 of them,’ and I did,” said Rasche, who recorded Take It Easy with DuPont over two days at DuPont’s Ypsilanti home studio.

“And then he spent a bunch of time distilling it down to a five-song album. We set a date, and I went and wrote 15 [more] songs the two weeks before that. We ended up recording two of the original 15 I had sent him, and [now] it’s this whole new album.”

DuPont also plays several instruments on the album, including guitar, bass, banjo, keys, and synth, and provides backup vocals. Austin, Texas-based drummer Kevin Butler appears on four tracks as well.

“If you’re gonna work with someone as talented as Chris DuPont, then you need to let him drive,” Rasche said.

Now, Rasche plans to share those songs on stage during an April 18 co-headlining show with Kylee Phillips at The Ark. He last performed at the Ann Arbor folk club in 2021.

“I’m going to play some songs from this album and celebrate that, especially the collaboration [with Chris DuPont],” Rasche said. “Anytime I get to play with Chris, we’re going to play these songs. They’re such a special part of our friendship.

“I’ll bring a couple of old [songs] and definitely some new ones. I’m going to share Kylee’s band, play a few with Chris, and then I’m going to do my stuff solo.”

After The Ark show, Rasche will release a new 13-song album with The Vital Hive, a Grand Rapids collective, and record another Kyle Joe album with DuPont.

“The songs are coming right now, and I’m enjoying being in a creation mode,” he said. “This summer, I’ll be doing the Nor East’r festival in Mio, and then I’ll be playing Wheatland with The Real Humdingers. I’ll have a light summer, so I’ll probably be recording.”

Lori Stratton is a library technician, writer for Pulp, and writer and editor of strattonsetlist.com.

Kyle Joe performs April 18 with Kylee Phillips at The Ark, 316 South Main Street, Ann Arbor. For tickets, visit The Ark’s website.