The debut album from folk-rock storyteller Jonathan Ferguson, Sweeter After Difficulties features thirteen songs telling stories of bravery, duty, hope, love and regret. From the socially poignant opener "Ballerina", to the unrequited love of "Sunrise at the Airport", to the true-love-in-debt of "Someone Always Gets the Better Deal", the songs on the record are human and detailed, approaching a level of immersion reserved for a film, with the immediacy of a film trailer.

With arrangements ranging from a simple stripped down guitar and vocal ("Fireworks) to lush strings and electric leads (Humming), Sweeter After Difficulties is, to quote Canadian rock legend Greg Goddovitz, "that rarest of things for a new artist, a tour de force of mature and well crafted songs...a unique blend of melody and virtuosity that clearly defines him as an up and coming artist."