The project of Baraboo, Wisconsin native John Paul Roney, Boom Forest grew from indie folk roots into a more ambient, indie electronic style, melding organic songwriting with atmospheric textures on releases like 2015's Post Knight Errant and 2019's Hard Times, Anything Helps. Roney's musical journey started with the alt-pop group We the Living, who, in the latter years of the 2000s, endured a major-label run and the hard knocks that often come with a quickly rising band. In 2010, after packing it in, Roney ended up in Nashville, where he began operating as Boom Forest after a few years. His eponymous 2014 debut displayed hints of the sonic experimentalism he would later adopt more fully, but remained true to his acoustic guitar and vocal songwriting roots. Boom Forest's next release, 2015's Post Knight Errant, still played to Roney's folky side while introducing increasingly moodier tones and atmospheric flourishes. Relocating to Los Angeles, he returned in 2019 with Hard Times, Anything Helps, which veered heavily into electro-organic elements, fusing various synthetic effects and beats with Roney's soulful vocals. ~ Timothy Monger