Folk rock trio JustFolk close out a 13-year chapter with The Best of JustFolk 2012–2025, a chronological compilation that traces the arc of a studio project rooted in classic songwriting traditions and unvarnished emotional candour. Formed in 2012 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the band is comprised of main songwriter Todd Kolod (guitar, vocals), Manolo Diaz (electric guitar), and Steven Gores (keyboard). The trio built a catalogue of four full-length albums and several singles before officially retiring this year.
The compilation revisits what Kolod considers the project’s essential works, offering a retrospective view of songs centered on love, hope, existence, and mortality. Recorded between Ibiza, Spain and Helena, Montana, the tracks carry a sense of geographic and emotional distance, reflecting both Kolod’s 2015 move to Ibiza and the band’s continued collaboration with musicians in Minnesota and Montana.
JustFolk’s sound is firmly anchored in its influences. Kolod has cited formative inspiration from The Beatles and Neil Young, with an adult appreciation for the polished studio sensibilities of Jeff Lynne and the melodic craftsmanship of Tom Petty. Those guideposts are evident throughout the compilation: jangling guitars, prominent vocal hooks, and occasional double-tracked leads that nod to a Lennon-esque aesthetic. Yet while the sonic palette reflects classic rock lineage, the production avoids excessive gloss. The recordings lean toward an intentionally unpolished texture, preserving a live, unrestrained quality.
Kolod describes himself as “the only amateur” in a band otherwise populated by professionals, a dynamic that shaped JustFolk’s studio identity. He wrote 70 songs over seven decades, beginning with the Daddy-Doo Band (2003–2009) and continuing through JustFolk’s lifespan, drawing from a personal history marked by early loss and instability. Born in Las Vegas in 1955, Kolod lost his father in a boating accident at age two and was raised with significant support from extended family. Themes of resilience and hard-won perspective surface repeatedly in the catalogue, most explicitly on the band’s previous album Grounded, a hopeful concept record focused on death and dying.
Across The Best of JustFolk 2012–2025, that thematic throughline becomes clearer in hindsight. Early tracks favour earnest declarations of love and existential searching, while later selections reveal a songwriter increasingly comfortable confronting impermanence. Rather than striving for pristine studio perfection, the band prioritizes immediacy, capturing what feels like first takes imbued with conviction. Guitar lines and keyboard textures serve the songs without overwhelming them, and the arrangements leave space for lyrical reflection.
Though Kolod acknowledges that JustFolk’s audience remained small, this final compilation functions as both summation and reintroduction. Presented as the band’s closing statement, it gathers the creative output of a project that consistently pursued melodic hooks and emotional sincerity over commercial polish. In doing so, The Best of JustFolk 2012–2025 offers listeners a comprehensive portrait of a studio band guided by classic influences, personal history, and a sustained commitment to songwriting craft.
Bandcamp: https://justfolk.bandcamp.com/album/best-of-justfolk-2012-2025
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/45RB9VW6WeDQMZC1udGAyY
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@toddkolod
Nadia Elkharadly
Latest posts by Nadia Elkharadly (see all)
- Just Folk Bring their best in this decade retrospective - February 19, 2026
- The impact of living with chronic skin conditions - February 13, 2026