Nearly 60 years after the release of his first album, folk staple Neil Young returned to the music scene March 7 with the release of his lost album “Oceanside Countryside.”

The album, which was recorded in 1977, carries Young’s classic acoustic charm and cradles the listener with a campfire-esque charm.

In his distinct ballad style, the songs of the album each tell a unique story, placing the listener in a new setting within the American West.

Young, with his romanticism of loneliness and rugged individualism creates a nostalgia for a mythologized America.

His song “Pocahontas” especially captures this theme of his.

In the song, he takes the perspective of a Native American in the early colonization of America, pondering the natural joys of life in the American West prior to the destruction and industrial corruption brought about by colonizers.

“Aurora Borealis / The icy sky at night / Paddles cut the water / In a long and hurried flight / From the white man to the fields of green / And the homeland we’ve never seen.”

In the song, Young pines after an America where the simple life can be enjoyed free from the burdens of modernity and the oppressive nature of society.

This idea is captured in the last line of the song, albeit with some questionable lyrical choices that show the song’s age: “I wish I was a trapper / I would give a thousand pelts / To sleep with Pocahontas / And find out how she felt / In the mornin’ on the fields of green / In the homeland we’ve never seen.”

Other songs that stood out on the album include “Captain Kennedy,” “Sail Away” and “The Old Homestead,” all with similar themes of American individualism, solo journeys and nostalgia for a rugged America.

Additionally, while the album is new to the public, the songs on the album are not.

According to superdeluxeedition.com, “The versions of the songs ‘Lost in Space’, ‘Captain Kennedy’ and ‘The Old Homestead’ are the versions that ended up on ‘Hawks and Doves’ (in 1980) while ‘Sail Away’, ‘Goin’ Back’, ‘Human Highway’, ‘It Might Have Been’ and ‘Pocahontas’ are actually the same as on ‘Archives Vol III.’ ‘Field of Opportunity’ and ‘Dance Dance Dance’ are slightly different to the versions of ‘Archives Vol III,’ because on these versions Young is on backing vocals, rather than Nicolette Larson.”

Despite this, the 10-song album is still worth a listen.

With a runtime of 38 minutes and 13 seconds, the album is perfect for some windows open, spring cleaning listening around the house, or, for the more adventurous types, the album is perfect for listening to on a road trip out West or around a campfire with friends.

For those folksy souls with a distaste for modern country, Young’s album release is a perfect opportunity to check out his other more popular hits as well. 

“Harvest Moon,” “Old Man” and “Heart of Gold” are all classics that a curious listener should check out.

Luckily, after a long boycott of Spotify, Young has returned his music to the streaming service and fans can listen to his new album as well as his other hits there.