Arkansas singer-songwriter Trevor Phelps continues the build-up to his forthcoming album Small Town with ‘Old Friend’, the second single from the project following 2026 opener ‘Home Now’.
Taking a more considered approach than its predecessor, the track pairs melodic indie-pop songwriting with a reflective premise. But rather than simply addressing the person he used to be, he reverses the familiar format, imagining what his childhood self might say to the adult he eventually became.
That perspective allows ‘Old Friend’ to examine how ambitions and ideas surrounding happiness, achievement and belonging gradually shift with age. There is nostalgia here, but Phelps avoids becoming overly sentimental, instead accepting the distance between youthful expectations and adult reality.
Those ideas feed directly into Small Town, an album informed by Phelps’ upbringing in Van Buren, Arkansas, and the experience of eventually moving away.
Now based in Fort Smith, Phelps has attracted radio play both in Arkansas and across parts of Europe, while previous single ‘Picture Perfect’ received support from Apple Music’s New In Alternative playlist. ‘Old Friend’ offers another indication of the personal territory his forthcoming record will explore.
