The Friday Dispatch
Christian Lee Hutson, Julie Dawson, Barrett, Amahla, Dorothy Ashby and Jordan Rakei
The missing parts of Christian Lee Hutson
With his new album Paradise Pop. 10, Christian Lee Hutson is emerging as one of the next great American folk songwriters.
Released today, the album takes its name from a town in Parke County, Indiana, near where Hutson went to visit his father during childhood. Its cover is a mosaic of an airplane window. But these hallmarks were less about Hutson leaning into nostalgia and escapism and more about catching himself in the present and embracing it fully.
“This record feels a little bit more immediate to me than the previous two records which felt really nostalgic, really digging into the past. And this record, to me, felt like actively trying to write about and remind myself to stay in the present,” he explains. “To make something so personal to me, even though there are still characters, makes me feel more connected to it and a little bit more like the possibilities are endless instead of finite.”
In addition to his own storied repertoire, much of Christian Lee Hutson’s mystique is also wrapped up in the cast of characters he surrounds himself with. Players like Phoebe Bridgers, Maya Hawke, Samia Finnerty, Katy Kirby, Marshall Vore and more circle his creative orbit, and he theirs.
“It was my favourite recording experience I’ve ever had,” Hutson says of the process. “I would walk to the studio with Phoebe or Maya or Marshall or somebody and just talk about the night before, what had happened the day before, and get the creative juices flowing,” he explained.
By grounding itself in the present, Paradise Pop. 10 inevitably also rubs up against restlessness and unknowns. “What I notice when I listen back to it now is the theme of people waiting to start their lives,” Hutson explains. “Phoebe and I have this joke that we use with each other a lot which is that, ‘I can’t wait to remember this as good’ … You have a lot of people unsure about their future and unsure about their present and characters that are directly in the moment when their life is about to change.”
Read the full profile by Laura David now over on Best Fit.
Julie Dawson is holding her own
When the world went into lockdown, Julie Dawson found herself looking for something, anything, to do. Her main project, Irish four-piece NewDad, had gone on hiatus, leaving Dawson without a formal outlet. But after linking with fellow Irish musician, Jack Hamill, online, Dawson found herself following an uncharted path: solo work. Four years later, the seeds of that path have come to fruition, and Dawson has finally unveiled her first solo LP, Bottom of the Pool, to the world.
Bottom of the Pool was never really supposed to be an album in the formal sense. At first, Dawson and Hamill just started getting to know each other by sending ideas back and forth: “When I started this project we really didn't know it was going to be an album,” she admits. “But then, just over the course of like a year or two, we were very quickly like ‘okay we're putting this out now’.”
Modern convenience and artistic synergy saw these demos coalesce into a cohesive album – a fitting meld for the escapist electronics of Bottom of the Pool. “It was funny because basically the whole album was made on WhatsApp in a way,” Dawson smiles. “I've only met Jack once in person and I think we exchanged two words; we were both kind of awkward but we just had this really nice flow. He'd send the songs and then I'd send them back.” You can hear it in the final result, the feeding off each other’s creative instincts, making the whole thing feel less like a grand declaration and more like a conversation – one that’s open-ended and inviting. “He did his thing and then I did my thing. Then, he kind of just neatened it up and like, put a little bow on it. It was actually just really easy.”
Alex Dewling
The introduction
Each week, Best Fit will be bringing you mini-interviews with artists on the come-up - and it’s happening exclusively on Substack. To kick things off, we present to you barrett, a brand new country-folk singer ready to take the scene by storm.
Name: barrett
Age: 23
Hometown: Boone, North Carolina
Your sound / project in 5 words: Nostalgic, convicting, folky, reflective, mountainy, spacey.
How did you start making music?
I grew up in a very musical household and started on the banjo, but hated it. I wish I kept with it looking back now. At a young age I started listening to bands and artists like Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers and Bon Iver. But I fell in love with guitar in high school and practised classic rock, blues and Grateful Dead stuff non stop. Then I started helping sing at the church I grew up at which I think helped shape my voice and melodies in a lot of ways. Once I hit college, I kept doing all of this and then really got into writing. Eventually, I just had friends telling me you should start releasing this and playing shows as they really admired my writing and vocals. As time passed, more and more doors started to open for me and now here I am. I’m just very thankful to do what I get to do, and I hope I can make music that moves people and that they can always find meaning in. That’s my goal.
Outside of the studio, where do you find the most meaning in your life?
When I look at life with gratitude I find so much meaning and beauty in every person I meet or place I go. I think every human thrives off of love and being in community/relationship with one another. So I just want more people to feel love I guess, cause every dang person needs it. All that to say I definitely find meaning in people, nature and reading, outside of music.
Tell us how to spend a perfect day in Boone
Ohhhhh this is a hard one. Boone has so much to do especially in the outdoors scene and has all four different seasons throughout the year which is what I love about it. However, I would say, waking up and going on a hike at Linville Gorge or somewhere on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then chilling at the New River in Todd the rest of the day. Maybe even grabbing a burger and beer from The Cardinal at the end of the day!
Up next this week….
On the new music front, September is going out strong, with a whole host of buzzy records out this week. Over at Best Fit, we’ve been particularly excited about the release of Paradise Pop. 10, the engrossing new folk record from Christian Lee Hutson. We’re also listening to Dunya, Mustafa’s heart-wrenching and thoughtful debut LP; SOPHIE, a visionary posthumous electronica record from SOPHIE; Late Start, the cathartic coming-of-age record from Carol Ades; and EELS, an album of good chaos from almost-punk duo Being Dead.
From the archive
This week, the world heard the final release of legendary producer SOPHIE. Thus, from the archive, it felt only right to bring her back in some way. Here, we’ve found one of her earliest interviews, when she was still concealing her identity and using a voice modification technique to protect herself from prying eyes. She talks all about her early single “BIPP” and the art of being at the cutting-edge. And, she gives the journalist a run for his money (deservedly). In her words: “I’ve got a cough.”
Find the full clip now over on the BBC.
Something Old, Something New
Every week, we share recommendations from the Best Fit community on two iconic records — one from the past, one from the present. This week, UK-based jazz artist Amahla offers her thoughts on Afro-Harping by Dorothy Ashby (1968) and Wallflower by Jordan Rakei (2017).
Afro-Harping is an album the world deserves to know. Released in 1968, it’s a 35-minute instrumental masterpiece; a psychedelic soul-jazz exploration that places the harp, traditionally confined to the classical realm, deep within the realm of Black music.
Born in Detroit in 1932, Dorothy Ashby redefined the harp’s role in modern music, transforming it from a mere accompaniment into the main character. Ashby’s contribution to music is immense, also having composed with her harp for artists including Minnie Riperton, Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder. But it’s her personal artistry, starting from the 1950s, that brings the harp to life in a way few others have.
As an introduction to Ashby’s work, Afro-Harping for me is transcendental. The album’s blend of psychedelic soul, funk and jazz create a soundscape of pure bliss. Often when we seek escapism, we turn to pop music. But sometimes I find I need not distraction but redirection. Instrumental music takes me away and transports me to a space that doesn't yet exist - where I make the meaning.
My favourite song is “Little Sunflower”, I play it in the mornings, it helps centre me before I start my day; and each time I listen, I feel like I’m discovering a hidden treasure.
Jordan Rakei is a singular artist for me, one of the best male vocalists we have today and a glorious songwriter. Pulling from R&B, soul and electronic music, there is an essence of truth that runs through Rakei’s music that few contemporary artists capture. In doing so, he channels the feeling of soul legends like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and his 2017 album Wallflower is where his voice becomes clear.
Wallflower came at a time when I was still discovering my voice, and before I released any music of my own. The album offered me endless inspiration with its warm character, powerful stories, and bold electronic and orchestral production choices. It helped open my mind to what it means to make an album that pulls from the past while being rooted in the present, just as I began to define my sound and message. Wallflower was the soundtrack of my summer that year, and Rakei’s ability to embed musical complexity and groove, with sweet catchy melodic choices is something I still deeply admire.
Start with “Eye To Eye” and let the album carry you away.
Amahla’s EP ‘Ooooh Honey!’ is out today.
Listen to the week in new music by following our Discovery playlist
Dropping at midnight every Thursday, follow our playlist for a taste of the best new music from the most exciting breaking artists – 20 new tracks, top-loaded from the last five days in music and on repeat in the Best Fit office right now.
Leading the selection this week are new tracks from Hildegard, Two Shell, two blinks, i love you, Maleigh Zan, and coverstar re6ce.
Wallflower is such a stunning album - Jordan is an absolutely stellar artist 👏🏿