The music career for Pio Hartnett was jumpstarted when he moved to Dublin and recorded a single with his friend Alex Nahayo. Following some surprise internet attention and the affirmation of quality radio play, he entered BIMM Dublin to study Commercial Modern Music. He recently graduated and with is new single Roses, is proving that both time and studies has served him well. Roses is polished and elegant. The instrument choices are poetic. Hartnett is bypassing modern atmospheric synths in preference to the organicl touch of violins, hand percussion and hand claps. It’s all a testament to the songs subject matter, as Roses are natural, beautiful, simple, unmatched.
The highlight, though, is Pio’s soft, masterful control over his quivering voice. With Roses, he provides a nice arrangement to showcase his vocal versatility. The melodies are emotive and moving. He dresses them with clever lyricism and relatable nuances.
It’s all about getting to the heart of the matter, finding something genuine in this superficial world. It’s something that the youth of today are starting to catch wind of, an extension of existentialism, and Pio is very much a part of that history. But these changing times come with a bit of hesitation, and much like their Grandparents from the 60s the meanings of these changes can get warped, most notably, when it comes to relationships. He drops a hint in the songs opening line “when we met I was eager, I ignored every warning, I should be ready somehow, my Dad was steady by now, I think this is how it’s meant to go.”
Roses is a song for the modern young romantic, and with vocal abilities this good Pio might trend into the next Galway lover boy. It’s got Ed Sheeran crossover appeal with the indie arrangement stylings of Andrew Bird and Sufjan Stevens. Hartnett was bred from an array of influences ranging from the indie pop of Holly Humberstone to the weird magic of icons Radiohead. Like any seasoned musician, you can note the influences, but appreciate that Pio has a sound all his own.
Enjoy Roses now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
German songwriter Tina Loeffler provides the soundtrack for your midwinter getaway on the minimalistic Hill Hide. Loeffler has the history to match the prose. Her penchant for bedroom folk is propelled by her lifestyle. She surrounds herself with books drawings, notes, and regular trips into the woods to get lost in its vast serenity. She has the raw small town charm of artists like Big Thief, and the soft reflective rumble of Courtney Marie Andrews.
Hill Hide is textured with an expressive ukulele, a droning accordion, and a soft piano. Loefflers voice hovers above the mix like an early morning mist, cool and refreshing, bringing the moment to the forefront with her hush lullaby vocals.
The earth breathes from her wooded instruments, as you hear the oak bend beneath her fingers. The organic natural instrumentation and raw mix match her wintery writing. This is not your polished pop mix cleaned and compressed to death, Tina invites the personality of the instruments to cut through, as if the musicians are in the room with you.
Loeffler is like a forest siren, you can hear her from behind the pines, guiding you through the trail on a cold wet wintery walk. She is the warmth as you nestle beneath the fire, caressing your hot mug, allowing yourself an afternoon moment of bliss after tiring preparations consumed your mornings. Loefller has given herself to the elements and in turn they’ve gifted her these songs. You don’t just absorb this kind of inspiration from behind a computer, to write a piece like Hill Hide you have to get a little dirty, go off trail, maybe even get lost for a moment.
Hear Hill Hide now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
My Fine Companions are purveyors of traditional folk, and they write new songs in the classic standard style that could be mistaken for historical works. Their new single O Daughter fits the mold. The composition is produced to perfection and embellished with a rich string arrangement that brings fullness and atmosphere to the composition, but the root of it is a classic style duet with an honorable message celebrating their families storied legacy.
The magic of folk is that these musical tributes often enshrine simple common people. They celebrate the sacred simplicities and acknowledges the suffering of our common affliction.
O Daughter is about a daughter who moves abroad to live with her boyfriend. A common theme that every Father will likely endure. And though it is to be expected, it’s hard to prepare yourself for that inevitable experience.
My Fine Companions have elite execution to match their proficient writing skills. They nail the vocal and instrumental nuances known to the classic folk sound. There are only 12 notes and arranged in this fashion they have proven to be timeless. They transport us to an era and a feeling residing in our ancestral musical DNA. They join the string band modern folk revival that includes Old Crow Medicine Show and Trampled by Turtles, and they have the chops to hang with the best of them.
Hear O Daughter now on our Emerging Folk Playlist.
“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it’s always our self we find in the sea.”
— E.E. Cummings, American Poet & Author
Songwriter Noah Solt is based out of Boston, but his second home may be the Atlantic. While serving as a deckhand sailing across the ocean he wrote the anthemic Let’s Make A Fire. The song has all the hope and resolution mixed with youthful boldness of someone who has wandered into the infinite. It takes a weird kind of courage to submit yourself to a lengthy expedition in open waters. It can lend itself to madness if you do not submit yourself to it. When you’re at sea, your ambitions are only going to drift so far, you have to be committed or it will consume you.
It’s his search for meaning that may have lead Noah to the ocean, and whether he went in knowing or not, he is ready to admit that he has been searching. He sings, ““All of my life I’ve been looking for some kind of someone, somebody real who can burn just as brightly as I.” And though it might read like a solicitation on your favorite dating app, it may be better translated as a revelation. Noah has found himself, he has found peace and serenity and through it the discovery of a great song. He can now transverse the immensity of his feelings, lend them to his craft, scan them for remnants of his past to release in lyrical poetry.
And so it is that Let’s Make Fire is energetic and beautiful. He sings, “now that you’re here I know what to do with our time.” He’s been contemplating this for a while now, and he’s resolute in his execution. But the map is bare, the idea is to shine your light and do something, anything, other than wait. It’s a message to a generation of “what if’s.” It empowers you to go out and do anything.
Be inspired, enjoy Let’s Make A Fire now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 