Jesse Rutherford is known throughout the world as the lead vocalist of alt-rock giants The Neighbourhood. On his 2024 solo album Wanted?, the singer-songwriter tries to shed his band’s shadow and establish himself as a unique entity. “Shoot It Straight” is a bare-bones anthem that features his voice front and centre, crooning over jazzy guitar chords and shuffling drums. Pitched vocals give his melody some bite, but it’s his wandering thoughts about a long-distance relationship that make the song so relatable: “Missin’ memories we used to make/Distance only thing that’s in the way/My heart is already fond of you/I made up my mind, I love you,” he sings. Throughout the project, Rutherford strives to show his whole and true self. On the anthemic “Spirit,” he sings over a spare landscape highlighted by a buzzing bassline. He reckons with his talent and flaws, ultimately OK that both exist together. He asserts, “All my faults and all my strengths/My rights and wrongs/They’rе all the same.”