Every so often a song will pique my interest from a new artist that seemingly comes out of nowhere. This new song “Follow” off the upcoming album from new artist Hallowell takes you on a spiritual journey through beautiful forest-like soundscapes and layered touches of pure magical joy. That’s the best description I can offer when explaining this new song from Hallowell. I could drop in the standard RIYL type sentence but really Hallowell is an artist all his own. Check out the new song “Follow” below. The new album will drop in March on Great Comfort Records which is owned by Daniel C Smith of Danielson. (You can also buy this track off bandcamp right here)
Hallowell is modern sacred music from the shores of Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont by the co-founder of Bifrost Arts, Presbyterian minister Joseph Pensak. Growing up in Memphis, TN was hearing stories from MeMe about Elvis buying Cadillacs for strangers, watching the world open up as a hero high school quarterback neighbor opened the liner notes to R.E.M.’s Fables of the Reconstruction, and driving home after basketball practice blasting The Breeders’ “No Aloha” from a mixtape, thinking it was the greatest single recording in the history of mankind (it probably is). College in Mississippi was sitting with his bandmates in awe as the gentle whir of a VHS gifted us Björk’s “Possibly Maybe” live in concert, seeing Morphine a week before Mark Sandman died, and drowning sorrows on lonely midnight roads to Red House Painters’ “Katy Song” after his now wife rightly dumped him.
In one moment, all of it was pulling out his parents’ vinyl of Déjá Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and trying out the old 1970’s cabinet record player in the living room for the first time.
A new day, a new way, and new eyes to see the dawn.
Hallowell is the common made holy because of the gospel mystery that the Holy became common. The Needle dropped and the world heard its song.