Tristan Freides

In his first full-length album, Tristan Freides will certainly be turning heads with these 8 well-crafted and deftly delivered songs. My Life In An Upturned Boat features emotionally-laden vocal performances that blend perfectly with his poetic, yet still accessible lyrics. Freides' confessional style of writing has an intimacy that lends itself nicely to the simple yet fulfilling arrangements of these recordings. All of the tracks feature guitar and vocals, interspersed with occasional percussion, bass and backing vocals.

Freides demonstrates strong guitar work and ambitious vocals, showing off his range as an instrumentalist and singer. His voice, reminiscent of Ed Sheeran and James Blunt, is plaintive but still optimistic and the occasional melodic cracks lend to the sentimental depth of these songs. The album is mixed well, keeping the vocal in the forefront but still displaying the richness of the guitar work.

Song topics explore everything from finding love, to overcoming fear and making peace with failed relationships. “Goosebumps” is memorable and hooky, and sure to be a hit in the 18-25 female crowd. “Fireflies” ventures into a more minor-key realm yet still stays hopeful with lyrics like “I called out to a puppeteer, disappointed turned and ran from fear, I never looked back.” A departure from the acoustic guitar folk-pop style, “Stay the Night” hits the listener with drums and electric guitar, letting Freides wail a bit more.

If Freides has even half as much ambition as he has talent, he will surely be going remarkable places with his music. Try to keep up with this artist.

Review by Beth Kille (Thanatopsis Publishing) - Thanatopsis Publishing