Jake Bellows just has one of those voices. Usually the center of Omaha, Neb.’s folk rock band Neva Dinova, Bellows has recently been releasing solo work that features even more stripped-down arrangements featuring his warm and conversational sing-speak voice. Honestly, aside from the often story-based lyrics and rustic, simple guitars, Bellows voice is the cornerstone of his work.

The second track of his recently released EP, both of which are entitled “Help,” is of no exception. After a slow string of live-performance releases and singles, Bellows delivers this five-song compilation (only two of which are actually “new”) to lead up to the release of a 10-song cassette tape. “Help” is by far the standout track of the release.

Like his usual blend of shoegaze lassitude and Americana folk, “Help” highlights Bellows’ usual style with a paced, doleful melody interplaying against a guitar, occasional piano and plain percussion. The accompaniment by Whispertown bandmate Morgan Nagler adds a refreshing vocal depth, especially during the chorus when she coos in repetition “I miss you” over Bellows’ singing.

What really strikes me about this song is its dual emptiness and heartache. Rooted in lines like, “there’s another kind of love that keeps you swinging in the park/ not from the trees/ in the breeze/ in the dark,” the song brings about a sense of soft disparity.

One of the most dynamic elements of the song, the jarring electric fiddlings that rise and fall throughout the track, demonstrates that dissonance best. The tempo is set at such a prolonged pace, with the melody sufficiently rising at places to strained, sustained pitches, that I can’t help but feel the weight of daily life build and settle in just the course of under four minutes.

“Help” was written about how arbitrary life can seem, and the frustration that comes with attempting to put an order to it,” Bellows told American Songwriter. “A distracting parade of pointless dancing and cultural randomness, all but impossible to negotiate. The idea that your love can keep someone happy and engaged in the world is a hopeful and positive notion, however improbable it may be.”

The Andrew Bird and M.Ward-like deep textures of Bellows’ voice create such a lethargic and calming sensation to me, especially in “Help.” When listening to this song, I have to think of that worn and tired feeling you get when driving home late on a summer night.

What a wonderfully conveyed feeling to experience, too, especially in the midst of February and with the threat of the Midwest winter storm Q approaching us.