Kevin Bronson on September 6th, 2016

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Nashville-based guitarist-composer William Tyler in June released his fourth album, “Modern Country” (via Merge), a seven-track compilation of instrumental music that could soundtrack the deepest of meditations or, as the video for “Highway Anxiety” suggests, the restless soul-searching of a cross-country trek. On the album, Tyler is backed by Phil Cook (Hiss Golden Messenger, Blind Boys of Alabama), bassist Darin Gray (Tweedy, Jim O’Rourke) and percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco). The video was directed by Tyler’s sister, Elise, and turned into an art project by editor Zack Hall.

It’s an east-to-west road trip, starting in Tennessee and ending at California’s Salton Sea. “The concept we had was simple: a seeker in our weird new America trying to find familiarity as he journeys,” Elise Tyler says. “As the song builds, the images grow more layered and distorted. After the crescendo, we are back to the simplicity of the seeker, who has arrived at the Salton Sea.” She adds: “If you ever doubt why America is so uniquely important in this world, drive across it. You will be crushed by the vast open spaces, the shifts in landscape, the diversity of its people. That we are designated as ‘one’ is either brilliant or insane—but we are. And the diversity is both our greatest strength and one of our biggest challenges.”

Never stop seeking.

||| Watch: The video for “Highway Anxiety”

||| Live: William Tyler opens for Margo Price on Oct. 12 and 13 at the Troubadour.