sean mcverry

Sean McVerry is taking his claim as a Connecticut-raised, Brooklyn-based, locally sourced folk/indie pop songwriter and running with it. His newest EP – Hourglass Switchboard II – was just released, and we know for a fact you won’t want to miss this beautiful 16 minute, 22 second masterpiece.

Holy shit. Sean’s voice is so gorgeous. It’s quite the cross-genre mashup of voices, and we’re hearing influence/comparisons all over the board. Think Adam Levine-meets-Sam Hunt (with jazzy undertones)-meets-Gavin DeGraw. Not making too much sense? We don’t care. McVerry’s voice is a dream, and we’re just going to let you gush from here.

McVerry’s vocals float over the four track piece, a release he admits is meant to be listened to in one sitting. An aspect of note would be his standout use of percussion to drive the tracks, in turn making each one something that you can easily dance to. We consider his music akin to One Republic‘s, in that each song is a new adventure, the production value is insane, and McVerry undoubtedly has talent beyond his years.

“Strangers” is the first track, the percussion a layer of note with intense, strong piano floating through it all. “Tiger Lily” is perhaps the most unique piece – In part, I’m sure, why it is McVerry’s mother’s favorite track, but who am I to claim that? – changing tempo a couple of times to display varying melodies and boasting impressive instrumentals in each. The third track, “Motion Picture Films”, leads in with sound effects that bring it into an ethereal sound space. The last track, “Christina’s Ringtone”, has “hit single” written all over it.

Don’t trust us? Take a listen. - Impose.com

Sean McVerry makes sultry blue-eyed soul, a more emphatic and instrumental take on Sam Smith’s chart-topping material. Hourglass Switchboard 2 is about halfway between Smith and The 1975’s energetic pop-rock, part downtempo electronic pop and part crisp guitars. It’s a surprisingly underexplored combination, given the popularity and quality of the two styles, but given McVerry’s adept take it’s nearly inevitable more musicians will follow in the future. If you’re looking for suave, serene pop-rock to carry you through the rest of your Monday, Hourglass Switchboard 2 is your best bet.

Hourglass Switchboard 2 releases Friday, July 29. We’ve got an exclusive stream before then — check it out below. - PopMatters.com

J. Cole's young but hungry Dreamville team is more known for its soulful boom-bap than its indie pop sensibilities — at least, so far. But while Cole's been quiet, his close collaborator Anthony Parrino (aka the producer Elite) has been seeking out and developing talent behind the scenes. Sean McVerry is one of his newest protégés.

McVerry, a recent college grad from SUNY Purchase's composition program, met Elite when the producer came to attend an alumni master class. The skeletal ballad McVerry played for the class caught Elite's ear, and he's since been helping the artist piece together his Hourglass Switchboard series of EPs, the second of which McVerry released Friday. Mic is premiering the video for its lead single "Strangers" below.

The video offers a glimpse into McVerry's creative process — a setup similar to the one Elite discovered him playing. "A lot of people in the class were playing pre-recorded stuff," McVerry said in a phone conversation, recalling their first meeting. "But I went in and just played this piano thing straight up, and [Elite] was very into what I was doing. I could tell it was very outside of what he's normally doing, but there was something he liked."

In "Strangers," McVerry weaves a hypnotizing soundscape, which he proceeds to puncture with his jarring vocal lifts. The composition complements the lyrics, which outline the difficulty finding comfort in unfamiliar territory.

"It's representative of jumping into a new situation, jumping into a new city where you don't know anybody and trying to find comfort do what feels right," McVerry said. "That's kind of what the whole project it's within about. It's about trying to find solace in other people, when they're dealing with their own internal struggles. Everyone is trying to get by and offer some kind of solace to one another, but they can only offer as much as their own experience allows."



This is what great songwriting does, according to McVerry: It offers solace without pretense. A great song, he says, can be translated into any genre over any production and make impression on its listener. It's a principle he feels is undervalued in much of today's popular music.

"At the end of the day, underneath all the cool synth sounds and drum loops — at the core of it you have a great song," McVerry said. "All I care about at the end of the day is: I have my experiences. I'm going to transmit them as honestly as possible." - Mic.com