St. Louis-raised songwriter Jordan Ward is trying to figure out which way to go. His second full-length, 2023’s FORWARD, took the momentum he gathered from his 2019 debut, Valley Hopefuls, and turned it into a record of optimism, excitement and celebration. Fast-forward to 2026’s BACKWARD, and things have slowed considerably. Ward is still one of the most exciting voices in alt-pop and R&B, but the hiccups, roadblocks and little life moments that throw everyone into a twist have left their mark. On album opener “STRANGER”, Ward croons over acoustic guitar melodies and a suite of fluttering woodwinds. “But I feel like a stranger in my own life,” he explains. On “CHANGE OF SCENERY”, the drum groove adds some oomph to the singer’s contemplative vocal performance as Ward dreams of heading west, layers of harmonies accenting his desire for something new. Ward isn’t necessarily lost on BACKWARD—the music is as assured as ever. But these are songs of searching, of hoping the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t a mirage.